Bloodied Rose
by spazartist101
Summary: Ever wonder what would happen if a vampire was stuck in Wonderland. I'll tell ya; chaos. Absolute, beautiful chaos. First story, PLEASE be nice!
1. I

**TA-DAAAAA! It's the edit! I didn't spend a whole lot of time on it, but it was still a pain to just crank out , but I am pleased with the results. If anyone wishes to read the original chapter, you may find it on deviantart. It's still there.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any characters from the original H/C/J/T/DnKnA mangas/games. All characters belong to Quinrose**

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><p>"Hey! You still alive?" I heard a voice call out, waking me from my nap. I opened my eyes and saw my best feline friend standing above me, her hair falling around her face. I watched her cat tail swish back and forth behind her, a small smirk on her face. I yawned, stretching my arms over my head while trying to wake myself up, and started snickering after.<p>

"I haven't been alive for years, Mal," I said to her, "ah, still sleepy," I yawned again, finally sitting up and stretching my arms out, hearing my elbows and back crack as I did.

"I've warned you not to sleep in the garden, and yet here you are," she mumbled at me, sounding slightly annoyed. I narrowed my eyes and stared at her from the corner of them as she sat down next to me, an exhausted sigh escaping from her as she rested on elbow on her knee, holding her head in the same hand.

"You just may have to keep telling me... Miss Triple-D," I answered monotonously, my expression blank. I watched her face redden with anger and embarrassment.

"Stop calling me that!" she shrieked as I felt her hand connect with the back of my head.

"Ow..."

"It's your own fault!" she snapped, "You're the one who keeps making fun of my bust size!"

"Aw, but you're just so fun to tease," I whined, a light smirk on my face.

"SHUT UP!"

"Ooow..." I moaned, rubbing the second slowly rising lump on the back of my head.

"Whatever. I'm going back inside. I have no clue how you're able to stay up at this time of night. Downright unnatural."

"Um, hello! Vampire, remember?" I asked, a hint of sarcasm in my voice.

"Ugh. Again, whatever. Just stop falling asleep out here. Hmm?" she paused her exit when she saw the book in my hand, "Lewis Carroll? Wow, that's unexpected," she mumbled, though the shock was apparent in her voice.

"What? I've read this a million times! Good man, that Lewis. Bit odd in the head sometimes, but a good man none-the-less," I stated.

"Well I'm going back inside. Try not to... fall asleep out here," she said sleepily, yawning in the middle of her sentence.

"Sleep well!" I yelled after her. She waved back at me before disappearing from the heart of the labyrinth. I sat still for a few minutes, staring up at the waxing moon when my eyes started to seal shut again, getting sleepy again for some reason.

**_Ah, sorry Malory. Looks like I broke my promise,_** I thought to myself as I laid down in the grass, the smell of roses filling my senses. I started to close my eyes as the rose's scent covered me like a blanket when I saw a white rabbit dart through the bushes, my eyes snapping wide open. **_Was…that rabbit wearing a WAIST-COAT?_** I asked myself. I looked at the book in my hand then shook my head. Clearly I've read this book much too often. I started to close my eyes again when I saw the rabbit dart through the bushes a second time. Suddenly, I felt a pang where my heart once beat. I thought for a moment and realized I hadn't eaten for almost a month. Grinning some, I jumped up to me feet, the hunger slowly taking hold over my mind. I bent into a crouch and remained still as a stature, focusing all my senses on what would soon be dinner. It darted out at least a foot in front of me not five seconds later, catching me a bit off guard. I shook my head and got back into focus when it ran out behind me, making me whip around, but the dew had already budded on the crisp grass, and I fell right on my ass.

"…Okay now this is really starting to piss me off," I growled, pushing myself up from the ground. I started to chase after it again when a bright light shone on the other side of a hedge. I jumped over it, though somehow managed to cut my leg and fingers, even though I didn't necessarily care. My predatory instincts were now in full drive.

So one would probably imagine my shock at finding a man with _rabbit ears_ instead of a _rabbit_ on the other side.

I tried in vain to stop myself, only managing to shout at him in warning and hoping he would move. The white haired man only whipped his head around… just before I landed on top of him.

We both groaned in pain, and I propped myself up on my hands, opening my eyes some. My eyes grew wide when I caught myself staring into the blood red eyes of the man under me. He blinked back up at me from behind his glasses, and I was a bit awestruck at how handsome he actually was. We remained frozen like that until my face contorted in confusion, my nose twitching.

"W-what?" he asked, narrowing his eyes some. Instead of answering his question, I bent my head down to his neck, closing my eyes and inhaling deeply. I blinked in confusion again before I shot back up, sitting up straight while pointing my finger at his face.

"You're that damn rabbit I was chasing!" I exclaimed in some surprise and anger, but mostly the latter. I noticed his face was starting to turn pink.

"How do you know that?" he asked while propping himself on his elbows, my finger hitting his nose. I drew my hand back and crossed my arms with a huff of annoyance.

"Because you smell exactly the same," I clarified, "unless you happen to own a plethora of rabbits."

"I do not. I find them flea ridden and full of germs. Those untamed beasts would never be on my good terms," he huffed back. My brow twitched at his rhyming.

"Germa-phobe, huh? Awful hypocritical of your not swiping madly to get my germs off your nose," I scoffed, rolling my eyes at him.

"Would you mind getting off of me?" he asked. I blinked at him, raising a brow as I looked down. I inhaled sharply through my teeth when I saw I had ended up straddling his waist. I felt my face get hot as I stood up and off him, moving quite a few feet back. There was a dull throb in my fingers, and I brought my wounded hand to my face, furrowing my brow before bringing my hand closer and lapping up the blood.

I turned slightly to look at the man, and saw what he wearing. Waist up, he wore a red plaid waist coat with a chain coming from the inside of his pocket to one of his belt loops, a giant clock dangling from the middle of the chain. His tie was red and a slight pink and bore the image of a cut-off clock. On his hands were white gloves and for bottoms he wore brown pants. Did I mention how incredibly hot he was?

I looked down at myself afterwards, seeing my light blue dress a crinkled mess from my running around, and I went to smooth out the material when I saw a few of my fingers were bleeding. Giving a small frown, I brought my hand to my face and lapped away the blood. As I did such, I became less and less aware of what was happening around me, and the next thing I felt were a pair of arms lifting me up and over a shoulder.

"H-hey, this is kidnapping! Put me down this INSTANT!" I snapped, grabbing one of ears and tugging on it.

"I would appreciate you not yell or tug on my ears, miss," the rabbit man said calmly, turning his head some to look up at me.

"Where in the hell are you taking me?!" I shouted anyway, trying to turn my body to see in front of us, "_AND SINCE WHEN WAS THERE A GIANT CHASM IN HERE?!_"

"If there's a hole we know, then down it we go!" he said happily. The cheeky bastard, I wanted to punch him. Badly. I closed my eyes for a split second, and when I opened them, I was falling.

**_Wait, what the hell?!_** I shouted in my head. Even though I was already dead, I still hated falling with a passion.

"Don't worry, we'll be there soon," the rabbit said. I looked at him like he was crazy. He simply smiled back at me. I closed my eyes and covered my ears, preparing for impact. When nothing happened, I opened my eyes and removed my hands.

"Where am I?" I whispered as I felt myself go into shock.

"Ari, my dear, you're in Wonderland," the rabbit said, "welcome."

**_HUH?!_** I thought, a bemused look on my face.

"Now I need you to drink this," he said, brandishing a vial of liquid with a heart shaped stopper.

"Are you _insane?!_ I'm not going anywhere _near_ that thing!" I yelled as I started to stand and back away slowly.

"Ah, so difficult, just like her," he mumbled. I watched as he opened the vial and took a swig from it, coming towards me after and gripping my chin firmly in his hand while his other arm looped around my waist. His lips pressed against mine, forcing my mouth open so I could swallow the bitter tasting fluid

**_HE'S MAKING ME DRINK IT!_** I shrieked as I swallowed.

"N-no," I huffed out, trying to push him away, "stop!"

"Not until you drink it all, Ari," he said. A pained and angry expression crossed my face, and I grabbed the vial from him, swallowing the rest in one gulp. I didn't want to be forced to drink anything ever again when I was turned, and this rabbit just broke my record. I turned back towards him when it was empty, both of us breathing hard.

"How did you know my name?" I questioned, the liquid making a coating over my throat so it was all I could taste when I breathed. I needed blood and fast.

"Does that mean you want to know my name, too?" he asked, sounding happy about it, "Splendid! It's-"

"I never said that, you idiot!" I interrupted him. He looked at me with a shocked and somewhat sad expression before an easy smile spread over his face. He turned to leave afterwards, looking back over his shoulder at me.

"Well if you ever need anything, come to Heart Castle. I'll be waiting, my dear..."


	2. II

I stood there as I watched Peter leave. Then my chest started to hurt, and I fell to the ground, too weak to stand. _Shit. I need to get up,_ I thought to myself as I stared up at the sky. I shut my eyes, trying to control the hunger.

"Hey! Are you okay?" I heard someone say. The voice was male. I opened one eye and saw him standing over me. His hair was a light brown, dirty blond, and his eyes were red. He stared at me with a concerned expression on his face. And he reeked of blood, but I could tell it wasn't his. Both of my eyes snapped wide open, and I felt them change color. One second he was over me, the next he was under me, my mouth at his throat. I felt my canines extend at his pulse, then I pierced the skin of his throat. I began to relax as the crimson liquid slipped down my throat. The man groaned under me, and after I took a few gulps, I pulled away and stood up, licking away any blood on my face. I watched as he propped himself up on his elbows.

"Hey, that hurt!" he said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Sorry about that," I apologized to him, extending my hand to help him up. He grabbed it and I pulled him to his feet.

"Wow, you're pretty strong for a girl," he said to me, "my name's Ace," he shook my hand as he introduced himself.

"Mine's Ari," I said, "again, sorry I snapped like that. It happens when I haven't 'eaten' for awhile."

"Nah, it's fine. But what did you do exactly?"

"I kinda-sorta drank your blood," I mumbled, starting to feel awkward, "I'm a vampire, so I need to drink it if I'm gonna survive," I finished, starting to shift from foot to foot. I closed my eyes, feeling horrible that I'd attacked him. Suddenly, I felt hands grip my shoulders, and I opened my eyes to see Ace smiling at me. I felt a tear slide down my face, and he wiped it away.

"Don't start crying. I'm glad I could help!" he said, giving me a thumbs up. I couldn't help but smile back at him.

_Hey! When can I come out to play, huh?_ I heard in my head. I stiffened at the words, my already pale face getting paler.

"You okay? You just got REALLY pale," Ace asked me, a look of concern on his face. I pulled away form him, not wanting him to get hurt.

"I, uh, have to go," I stumbled over my words, "I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, probably," he said, a confused smile on his face.

"Later!" I yelled as I started jogging towards the woods. When I hit the wood line, I ran. My other half was about to come out, and she loved to play and fight. Mostly play. When I was far enough, I stopped.

"Alright, you can come out now," I said out loud to my other half, Arisu.

_Oh, FINALLY!_I heard her shout with joy as we swapped places.

I stretched my arms above my head, feeling the thrill of being out again. I turned around and saw an iron gate behind me. My black tail started to swish back and forth in happiness.  
>"You got any business here?" I heard behind me. I turned around again and saw two boys, one wearing blue, the other wearing red. Both had black hair and only came up to my shoulder height wise. Both were wielding huge axes. I smiled evilly. This was going to be fun.<p>

"Sorry, pretty lady," the blue one said.

"But we have to kill you for trespassing," the other said. They both had a smile on their face.

"Aaaaw, but you wouldn't hurt little 'ole me, now would you?" I asked, putting a pout on my face.

"Sorry."

"No exceptions." They started to run towards me, and my expression changed into a wicked grin. The red one swung his axe, and I jumped into the air, kicking off of his head to get higher, and causing him to fall to the ground. I landed on the ground with a tap and jumped again as the blue one swung at me. I landed on the tip of the blade and peered down at the boy, my eyes glowing green. A split second after, I jumped again, somersaulted in the air, and kicked the back of his head with my heel, sending him sprawling to the ground. I landed with a tap on the ground, and I felt something whiz past my ear. I whipped around and saw another bunny man holding a gun pointed straight at me. His hair was blond, and he wore a black and purple plaid scarf over a black trench coat. On his belt buckle was a little rabbit, and he had bits of hay sticking out of his scarf. I stared into his purple eyes with annoyance and impatience.

I waltzed toward him and grabbed his gun. It burned my hand, and I let go. I looked down at it, and watched as the burn healed in a matter of seconds.

"So," I said, looking at him from the corner of my eye, "are you the boss of these twerps I just pummeled?"

"No, I'm not, actually," he said. _Is it just me, or are all the men we've met so far been extremely attractive?_ I heard Ari ask in my head. I grinned.

"Is their boss in?"

"Nope," he said, putting his gun back into its holster.

"Well then. What's your name, blondie rabbit?" I asked sweetly. I saw his face twitch. I read his mind until I got his name.

"Elliot, is it?" I asked. His expression changed to shock, and I snickered, "well, _my_ name is Arisu. If you have any questions, look for Ari," I informed him, then walked away, leaving him with a dumbfounded expression on his face. I walked for awhile into the woods when I felt myself growing tired._Dammit Ari. You never drink enough,_I thought to myself. I climbed up the nearest tree and got into a comfortable position, watching the clouds float by overhead. I felt my eyes start to get drowsy, and soon I was fast asleep.

"Ugh, what time is it?" I mumbled groggily. I looked around and realized I was me again, the cat ears and tail gone. _Hm. Must have swapped back while we were sleeping,_ I thought, somewhat happy that we had. I looked up at the sky and saw the sun hanging low in the sky. I jumped down from my perch and looked at my surroundings. I was still in the woods, but I could still see the iron gate and the mansion behind it. I blinked, and was suddenly over the gate (gotta love the speed). I started wandering around the property when I came to a wood line permitting the smell of roses. I wandered through it until I ended up in one of the most brilliant gardens I had ever seen in my entire undead life. I felt a huge grin pull across my face as I stared at my favorite flower, the red a perfect shade of crimson. The scent of them filled me to the core, and I felt like sleeping again.

I walked around the garden a bit more, making sure nobody else was there as well as looking at the roses. When I was satisfied no one was around, I picked one of the roses, the thorns digging into my skin.

"OW!" I yelped as I cut my finger. I watched as the blood oozed from the cut. I brought it to my mouth and licked away the blood. I sat down on the grass, marveling at it's texture. I laid down and brought the rose to my face, letting its sweet smell swallow me. I caught the faint scent of a human, but I felt too tired to entirely care. I closed my eyes and let the intoxicating smell lull me to sleep.

I awoke feeling refreshed, even though I was still half asleep. Sleeping in that garden and not a tree had done me some good. Except for the fact that I wasn't in the garden anymore. I sat up and saw a blanket over me. I looked under me and saw myself on a large sofa. I looked around the room and saw bookshelves overflowing with books. _Did I die and go to heaven?_ I asked myself. I shifted slightly and felt something poke my hand. I hissed at the shock of it and the pain. In my hand was the rose I had picked from the garden I fell asleep in.

"So the sleeping beauty finally awakens," I heard a man say from behind me, making me jump from the sudden noise. I turned my body to face the man who'd said that. What I _saw_ was probably the hottest guy yet.

His hair was pitch black, and his eyes were an intense green. He had a mischievous grin on his face. I watched him like a hawk as he got up from behind the desk he was sitting at. _Oh, now THERE'S a piece of meat I can sink my teeth into,_ I heard Arisu purr in my mine.

_SHUT-UP!_ I yelled at her, though I couldn't disagree that he was attractive. I turned around and started blushing at Arisu's comment. I brought my legs up to my chest as he sat down on the other side of the sofa, positioning himself to face me, that grin still on his face.

"W-what?" I asked, starting to feel awkward.

"I'm just wondering how an outsider was able to get past the gate-keepers and find that rose garden that no one is allowed to enter," he said to me, his face turning serious.  
>"Ex-squeeze me? Baking powder? I'm a <em>what,<em>?"

"An outsider. Someone who isn't a resident of Wonderland," he explained, that serious look still on his face.

"Okay, well first off, there was nobody at the gates when I showed up. Second, I haven't been here before, so how was I supposed to know about some bloody rule?" I shouted the second statement at him. At this point, I was on my knees, my finger pointed in his face. I knew at some point during my ranting that my eyes had changed color from onyx black to ice blue.

Suddenly, an intense pain on the back of my neck flared, and I doubled over, the pain so intense I was about to scream. I bit my lip so I wouldn't, my fangs digging into my bottom lip until it bled. My right hand gripped the back of my neck while my left griped tightly on the blanket. Tears streamed down my face, and I could hear Arisu screaming in my head.  
><em>THAT DAMN JAMES!<em> Arisu strained past the pain, _This damn CURSE! Why the hell did we kill him?_

"Because he tortured us...he tried to break us for years..." I said out loud, my voice straining from pain, "we didn't know he'd eaten a witch...we had...no choice but to kill James...we didn't know he would curse us...to remember the pain...nor did we know he was the only one...who could break it or use...another white witch...but they hunt us...kill us for trying to survive...Arisu..." I whispered that one word before the pain became too unbearable to even speak, the scar of the curse burning. I removed my hand to reveal the black rose scar, but it still burned. I looked up at the man, a shocked expression on his face, my eyes pleading to him.

"Help me..." I whispered. Then darkness swallowed me.

I awoke God only knows how long later with the blanket covering me again. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I shifted my head slightly and saw an apron over a blue dress. My face scrunched up in confusion. It wasn't until she spoke that i realized who it was.

"Good to see you're finally awake, Ari," Alice said, a smile in her voice. I sat up immediately and stared at the human I hadn't seen for months. When I saw her smiling face, my face stretched into a huge grin.

"ALICE!" I shrieked while I tackled her, my white cat ears and tail popping out. We both fell off the sofa and onto the ground.

"Ow. Watch the vampire strength there," she said to me, the smile still in her voice.

"Ah, sorry!" I said, letting go and kneeling next to her. I offered my hand and helped her sit up next to me.

"It's no trouble. Just be careful, alright?"

"Okay. OHMIGAWD! How have you _been_? I haven't seen you since I left London!" I exclaimed, my tail twitching back and forth in excitement.  
>"I've been fine. How did you get here though?"<p>

"In Wonderland? This creeper rabbit guy named Peter _kidnapped me_ and brought me here. Then he made me drink this weird medicine stuff by_kissing_ me! It was-OH MY GOD, you were the 'her' he was talking about!"

"Okay, I need you to slow down. What happened after Peter made you drink the Medicine of the Heart?" Alice asked me, putting her hands on either side of my face.

"Well, after he walked away, I collapsed and snapped from hunger and attacked this guy named Ace. The awesome part was that he was perfectly fine with it. Anyway, I ran away from him because Arisu was trying to swap places with me and I didn't want him to get hurt 'cause he was so nice to me. Then Arisu and I swapped places and found ourselves in front of this estates gates. She fought these kid twins wearing red and blue and_totally_ kicked their butts, then she got _shot_ at by another rabbit guy named Elliot. _Then_ she walked off and made us sleep in a tree-a _tree_ for god's sake-and when I woke up as me again, I hopped the fence, wandered around, smelled the roses, went to the garden, fell asleep, woke up in here, had a friggin' attack, and now here we are," When I finished, I was breathing hard. Alice stared at me, a blank expression on her face. After staring at me for many uncomfortable seconds, she finally thumped my head, then hugged me.

"Ow," I mumbled. She let go of me and look ed past me at something. I gave her a confused expression and turned around to see what she was looking at. What I saw was the man I'd had an attack in front of. My eyes went wide when I realized this. In the blink of an eyes, I was in front of him.

"Oh my God, I am so, so sorry you had to see that! I am so unbelievably so-" I stopped talking when he put a hand over my mouth.

"Blood, she didn't know about the rule. Not that you could kill her anyway," Alice said from behind me.

"And why ever not?" Blood asked. I removed his hand from my mouth and answered his question.

"Because I'm already dead."


	3. III

After I said that I was dead, I stuck out my tongue and pulled my eyelid down with my index finger. Blood stared at me for awhile until he finally said something, pointing at me.

"How are you dead already when you're clearly standing before me? Please, start at the beginning."

"I'm a vampire created in 1590. My creator tortured me and my other half for almost a hundred years before we finally killed him, unknowing he had killed and eaten from one of our many enemies, a white witch named Allistar. He used a witches curse used against my kind to feel the pain of all tortures over and over," I told him, lifting my hair and turning my back to him to reveal the black rose scar on my neck, "and this curse can never be lifted until he or another white witch does. Seeing as how_ that_ won't be happening anytime soon, me and Arisu are stuck," I finished, my hair still up. I heard Blood stand from behind his desk and walk towards me. I felt his fingers brush the curse mark, sending shivers down my spine. He removed his hand after what seemed like forever, and I let down my hair. I was about to turn around and face him when I smelled something...delicious. I sniffed the air a couple of times until I could figure out what it was.

"Oh my god, is that cake I smell?" I asked, a bright smile pulling across my face.

"Elliot probably had some carrot cake made. The guy absolutely loves the stuff," Alice stated. I was instantly in front her, grabbing both of her hands.

"Take me to the cake. NOW," I pleaded. Her eyes were wide for a second, but she smiled and pulled me after her.

"Ah! One moment," I said. I let go of her and walked back to Blood. I stood on my toes and kissed him on the cheek, "Thank you for getting Alice," I said, then walked back over to her, "Alright! Lead the way!" I said, my eyes sparkling. She chuckled, grabbing my hand and leading me through a maze of hallways until we came outside into a huge garden. In the middle of it was a large table with chairs all around it. There were tea pots and pastries all over the table, and I couldn't help but snicker when I saw it.

"What's so funny?" a voice behind me said. I turned around to find Elliot standing behind Alice and I.

"The situation just reminded me of a book I've read many times. It made me want to sing a silly song that the characters sang in it," I managed to get out between giggles.

"Hey, wait a minute," he said, looking more closely at my face, "aren't you that girl who grabbed my gun and kicked the slacker's butts?"

"Um, kind of?" I said, backing away, "She's my other half. Sorta like a split personality...Why?" He grabbed one of my hands and started to shake it.

"I can't _believe_ how quickly you beat them!" he said to me, a huge grin on his face, "I'm Elliot March. The two you beat are Dee and Dum." Okay, this was becoming to much. I started to giggle again until I was full out clutching my stomach in laughter.

"Th-this is too much!" I laughed. This was just too much like Lewis's book. The similarities were so apparent, I couldn't help but laugh. When my fit of giggles was over, I stood up, wiping tears from my eyes.

"Now what was that all about, huh?" I heard a boy say. I looked over and saw Dee and Dum peering out from behind Elliot.

"She better tell _me_, or it's tickle torture for her," Alice said, a sinister grin on her face. _CRAP! I forgot she knew where my tickle spots were!_ Her hands reached out and started to tickle my sides. I couldn't help but start laughing again.

"P-PLEASE! No more!" I shrieked.

"Hey! We wanna play too!" Dee said.

"Yeah! Let's tickle the pretty lady!" Dum replied.

"ACK! NOOOOOOOO!" I screamed as they started to tickle me too. I collapsed on the ground, my stomach hurting from laughing so much. These people were relentless with this!

"E-ELLIOT! H-HELP ME!" I pleaded. Suddenly, I felt hands tickling my neck, an I knew Elliot was responsible (some help _he_ is). Everybody was laughing at this point.

"S-SOMEBODY! HELP MEEEEEEEEE!" I shrieked with laughter. I was laughing so much my eyes were watering like crazy. Alice was at my sides, the twins were at my knees, and Elliot was busy with my neck.

"Hey, what's goin' on here, huh?" I heard someone say. Suddenly, I felt arms pick me up and pull me from the pile. I opened one of my eyes and looked up to see another man smiling down at me. His left eye was covered by his pink hair, and his cat ears were pink and faded to purple at the tips and were pierced with gold hoops. His eyes were a golden yellow. I stared at his face for a second until I realized how he was holding me. One hand was wrapped around my knees, the other on my ribs.

"P-put me down!" I stuttered, my face turning red.

"Whoops! sorry," He said, putting me on the ground.

"Boris! What are you doing here?" Alice asked from behind us. I stepped back from Boris to get a good look at him. His outfit was mostly black, except for a gold chain leading from a pink collar to one of his belt loops. All-in-all, the outfit was really awesome, but what caught my eye was the giant furry pink and purple striped boa he had draped around his shoulders. I almost considered stealing it from him.

"Hey, Alice. She an outsider too?" Boris asked. Dee and Dum popped up and each grabbed one of my arms.

"Yeah, she is," Dee said.

"No wonder she smells awesome!"

"We like her. She beat us in a fight!"

"And you like me just for _that?_" I asked them.

"YUP!" they both replied, smiling up at me.

"Buncha weirdoes..." Elliot mumbled.

"So, why is everything set up like this?" I asked Elliot, tipping my head back to look at him.

"Oh, this? We're going to have a tea party," Elliot informed me, his face brightening as he motioned at the table.

"Join us pretty lady!" Dee and Dum chimed together. They started to tug my arms toward the table.

"Alright, _alright!_ I'll join you! Just stop yanking on me!"

"Ah! Blood, you came!" Elliot exclaimed. I tilted my head back again and saw Blood making his way towards the table. His outfit was different from before. It suited him. I almost started laughing again when I saw the "In This Style" tag on his hat, but I held it in.

"We get to sit next to Ari!" the twins declared. I tilted my head forward and sat down in the chair the twins had led me to. Faceless people came around around and served tea to everybody. I picked up the cup in front of me and smelled it. It smelled like strawberries and something citrusy. Oranges? I took a sip and tasted what I had smelled. I felt a small grin pull across my face as I remembered old memories of my sister an I drinking the same tea.

"You like it?" Blood asked me.

"Yes. Very much. It reminds me of when I drank tea with my younger twin sister. It was one of the only times I got to see her," my eyes turned sad as I remembered when she died, "but she was killed with the rest of my family when I was turned," I wiped my eyes to make sure I wasn't crying, "but let's not dwell on my past. I heard carrot cake was made!"

"You like carrot cake?" Elliot asked.

"Hell, I love anything that has sugar in it!" I exclaimed, my face brightening up. I watched as Elliot's did as well.

"Here. Try some," he said to me, handing me a piece. I picked up a fork and took a bite out of it.

"Wow! This is really good!" I said, taking another bite.

"Thanks. The chefs here make the best carrot dishes," he said, that wide grin still on his face. I continued to eat my cake, savoring every bite.

"So have you been to the other territories yet?" Boris asked me, a grin on his face.

"I've wandered around the woods some, but I haven't been anywhere else."

"You should_ totally_ come to the Amusement Park! Just watch out when the old man brings out his violin."

"Oh, GROSS!" Dee complained.

"That old man is_ terrible!_" Dum whined.

"He plays a violin? I love music!" I chanted, clapping my hands together.

"Yeah, well you won't like it when he plays," Boris mentioned.

"Do you play anything?" Elliot asked. I simply pointed at my throat.

"I sing."

"She's really, really good at it," Alice chimed in, "she used to sing to me at night when she came to visit."

"What did she sing?" Blood asked.

"Anything that popped in my head. Mostly some Evanescence. In case your wondering, it's a famous band in our world," I explained, taking another sip of tea.

"Well, sing something now."

"WHAT? Now?"

"Yup."_ Demanding_, I thought. I stood up while I thought of something to sing. I pondered WHAT I could sing for a minute, then started to sing the words to a sad song I had heard on the radio recently. I poured emotion into the song, letting the words flow out of me. I almost started to cry during the climax. When I finished, I let out a shaky breath, then bowed.

"That was frickin' AWESOME!" Boris yelled. I smiled at him.

"Wow, pretty lady! Your really good!" Dum said.

"Thank you," I said brightly, patting his head and smiling down at him.

"Which one was that?" Alice asked.

"A song I had heard recently by this new artist named Christina Perri. I've been listening to it constantly," I took another sip of tea, then put my cup back down. As soon as I did, I felt something sharp slide across my skin at my side, and I immediately jumped out of the chair and was on the ground in a crouch three feet away from the table. I looked down at my side and saw blood begin to seep slowly from a cut.

"ALRIGHT! WHICH ONE DID THIS?" I yelled while I stood up straight, pointing at the cut on my side. I could feel it start to burn. Everybody pointed Dee, and I watched as he waved a knife in the air. "Oh I see," I said menacingly, cracking my knuckles, "you're lookin' ta get creamed again, are ya?" I watched the twins grin wickedly as they stood and Dum pull out his own knife. I positioned myself into the snake stance. They ran towards me, and when Dee lunged, I twisted around and hit the pressure point on his wrist to make him drop the knife. I spun around again and hit more pressure points on his body. I turned again just in time to dodge a knife Dum threw at me. As he pulled out another knife, I ran behind him and grabbed the arm holding the knife and twisted it behind his back. He dropped the knife and I pinned him to the ground.

"Say uncle!"

"Never!" I twisted his arm further.

"Say it!"

"ACK! U-UNCLE, UNCLE!"

"Good boy," I said, patting his head and getting off him. I helped him stand up then bent backward as Dee's knife lunged over my head at the same time Dum pulled out another (?) knife and aimed it at my throat.

"You little-!" I yelped. While they pulled back, I jumped out of the way so I wouldn't get stabbed. I grabbed one of the fallen knives then jumped back to my spot at the table, taking a sip of tea. The twins lunged at me, and I blocked the attacks with my knife. I twisted my blade and theirs were flung away. I took another sip of tea.

"...That all of 'em?" I asked them. I watched as they tensed, and I grinned evilly, "good," I said as I threw my weapon into the ground. I set down my cup, then was suddenly behind the twins. I each grabbed one of their arms and twisted them behind their backs. I kicked out their knees and pinned them to the ground.

"Say it!"

"NEVER!" I twisted their arms further and felt them squirm.

"I said 'SAY IT'!"

"UNCLE!"

"You gonna stop?"

"YES!" Dee screamed.

"Just let us go!" Dum replied.

"Good boys," I said while I got off them. I walked back to my chair and sat down. I simply drank my tea as everyone stared at me. As I put down my empty cup, the sky suddenly went from nighttime to midday. _The hell...?_ I questioned in my mind. I didn't want to be rude, so I didn't question it out loud. I watched Blood stand and clap his hands together.

"Right. Looks like this party is over," he said.

"Do you have anywhere to sleep, Ari?" Alice asked. I shook my head in response. I squinted my eyes in the sun. It was starting to give me a headache, "I'll probably find somewhere to sleep in the woods," I told them.

"Unacceptable," Blood said, "you'll sleep here."

"Um, okay?" I said, starting to feel uncomfortable, "where are you staying, Alice?" I asked.

"I stay at the Clock Tower with Julius."

"I need to leave, too. I stay at the Amusement Park," Boris said.

"See ya Boris!" the twins yelled as he walked away with Alice. A faceless woman came up to me. I took one look at her outfit and fell in love with it.

"This way, Miss," she said to me and motioned for me to follow. I started to follow her, but I felt a hand on my lower back stop me.

"It's all right. I'll show her the way," Blood said from behind me. I turned my head to look up at him, but the sun got in my eyes, and I would've fallen if Blood hadn't caught me.

"I don't care who leads me, just somebody get me inside. NOW," I hissed through clenched teeth. I was immediately led out of the garden and into the mansion.

"I'll take it from here," Blood said as a way of dismissing the woman. She bowed and walked away from us, "follow me," he said. I followed him down numerous hallways and stopped in front of a single door. He opened the door for me and motioned for me to enter the room. I walked in and saw a simple yet beautiful room. There was a queen sized bed covered in red blankets. On the sides of it were tables, one holding a lamp. In the middle of the room was a dark red, almost black, sofa. I walked over to the bed and sat down on it, finding the fabric to be smooth, almost like silk.

"My room is two doors down if you need anything. There's also a bath if you'd like to use it," Blood told me. I simply nodded my head in answer. I laid back on the bed and closed my eyes. I heard the door shut, and I opened my eyes again, too wired to sleep. I stayed motionless for a moment to make sure Blood was gone, then stood up and walked toward the door. I bit my finger and smeared a small amount of blood on the doorknob, then walked out of the room and smelled the air for water. When I caught it, I walked down a few hallways and walked into a huge room with a giant bath. _Lordy, hallelujah,_ Arisu and I thought at the same time._ Alright, time to split,_ Arisu said. We could "split apart", but it was too dangerous, so we rarely did it.

"Alright. But we have to be careful," I said out loud. I cut a pentagram inside a circle on my hand, then whispered a small chant in Romanian (all vampires and were-wolves know it). A small shadow formed, then shot out of the pentagram. When I opened my eyes, I saw my other half standing before me, wearing her navy blue strapless dress, black fishnet stockings, and ankle high boots. Her hair was as long as mine, yet jet black instead of bleached blond. She wore a red collar around her neck, and ten rings, one on each finger. She looked at me with a small grin on her face, her black eyes on the verge of turning emerald green.

"Ah, it's good to be out again!" she said, stretching her arms above her head.I looked at her and noticed her ears and tail weren't there. I simply shook my head and started taking off my clothes. When I took off my dress, I stood there just in my undergarments, my socks an shoes already off.

"Eeeeh? When did your ears and tail go away?" I heard Arisu ask as she took off her dress.

"Beats me. I think it was while Alice was taking me to the tea party."

"Nice fighting, by the way," Arisu said, giving me a thumbs up. Her dress was at her feet, and she stood in her underwear. Lacey, white underwear.

"...Why must your underwear be so skimpy?" I asked, an exhausted look on my face.

"Nyeh? You're asking this _now?_" she asked while walking over to stack of black and white towels. She grabbed a white one and a black one, then walked back over to where she originally was. She took off the rest of her clothes and wrapped the white towel around herself, walking into the water.

"Oh my god, this feels good," she purred. I rolled my eyes and finished undressing, wrapping the black towel around myself and walking into the water.

"Oh, wow, this does feel good," I hummed, sinking lower into the water. I started to relax when I suddenly heard voices coming towards the room. I sat up straight and stared over at Arisu. She just shrugged her shoulders and twisted her hair into a bun. I did the same with my hair and laid back again.

_ BAM!_ I heard a door slam. Arisu and I stared at each other, our eyes wide. Then we were out of the water, fixing our clothes to make sure what we wanted hidden was. Then we were back in the water like we had never left it. There wasn't even a drop of water on the floor.

"Ah! Pretty lady is in here!" Dee exclaimed.

"And she's got a friend with her!" Dum answered his brother. Arisu and I tilted our heads back to look at them, a bored expression on our faces. We stared at them for a second, then tilted our heads forward. I could hear the twins make their way into the water. Dee grabbed my right arm and Dum grabbed me around my waist.

"Who's your friend, pretty lady?" Dee asked, looking over at Arisu.

"You could say she's my twin..." I answered, trailing off from my sentence.

"I'm Arisu. Pleasure to meet cha," she said, grinning wickedly at the boys. They stared at her in awe, then Dee let go of me and traveled over to Arisu, grabbing onto her arm. She smiled and patted his head with her free hand.

"Pretty lady," Dum said and I looked down at him, "is your cut all better?"

"Oh, that? It's all healed. And yes, I know the knife was poisoned," I answered with a smile, my face turning dark.

"Eh? How did you know?" Dee asked, letting go of Arisu and ending up in front of me, "and why didn't you die?"

"I like him!" Arisu said next to me.

"W-well...my blood sorta eats it, I guess," I grimaced, "so I don't really notice it at first. If enough is used, it just burns. A lot."

"Did it burn?" they asked me, an engaged expression on their faces.

"A little. Not much though..." I said, trailing off again.

"These guys are vicious!" Arisu exclaimed, an evil grin forming on her face.

"Don't even think about it," I said, glaring at her. She held up her hands in mock surrender. I sighed and shook my head. She stuck her tongue out at me, and I pulled on my eyelid with my middle finger. We glared at each other for a few seconds when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head towards the thing that caught it...and saw Blood and Elliot staring at us.

"Holy shit," I heard Arisu mumble low enough so only I could hear it. And "holy shit" indeed. If I thought the were attractive before...

"Boss!" the twins yelped.

"And who might you be?" Blood asked, turning to Arisu. She grinned wickedly at him, then stood up in the water.

"Arisu, at your service," she said, bowing low with her head still up. A small grin formed on Blood's face. Arisu sat back down and put her elbows on the edge of the bath, then shut her eyes in an attempt to relax. I tilted my head back and shut my eyes as well. I could hear Elliot and Blood enter the bath.

"You seemed to find this room rather quickly," I heard Blood said, and sounding very close. I opened one eye and saw Blood sitting next to me. I hadn't even noticed the twins going off on their own. I looked at him for a second, then closed my eye again.

"My kind have extremely sharp senses," I told him. I could hear Elliot yelling at the twins and Arisu laughing at him. I opened one eye again and watched them arguing about something most likely completely pointless. I closed my eye and sat in the water for a few more minutes, then finally stood up to leave.

"Leaving so soon?" Blood asked without looking up. I got out of the bath, then turned around and bent down.

"We'll talk later," I whispered in his ear. Then I was back in my room, clothes in hand. Arisu was behind me a second later, carrying her clothes. She put her clothes back on her slowly, then nodded, giving me the signal to put her back. I nodded, then reopened the scar on my hand, then chanted in Romanian again, and Arisu was swallowed in shadow. In the next instant, she was back inside me. What came next was why splitting was so dangerous.

The black rose on the back of my neck began to burn, and this time I screamed. I doubled over and crumpled to the ground. Tears of red ran from my eyes. Very rarely I cried blood, but only the oldest could do it. _WHAM!_ I heard my door slam shut. I shut my eyes and the screams poured from my mouth. I felt my fangs grow from my gums. I could vaguely hear someone shouting something, and hands pick me up from the floor and lay me on the bed. I heard more shouting as bloody tears ran down from my eyes like a flood. My throat felt like it was on fire. My whole _body_ felt like it was on fire. My back arched as another scream of pain ripped from my lungs. The hands felt icy on my bare skin as they tried to restrain me. I cursed James in Romanian, and I felt a prickling burning sensation run under my skin. After a few seconds, the burning died down, and my body shook as I sobbed. The hands wrapped around me and held me, and I clung on to their shirt for dear life. This, excluding the first one, had to be the worst attacks I'd ever had. One, because of the pain. Two, I didn't pass out from it. The curse made me experience the whole thing. I felt a hand stroke my hair, trying to calm me down. My arms instinctively wrapped around the person, my body shaking from aftershock and sobs. After awhile, the tears stopped, and I figured out who was holding me, but I was too tired to care. My eyelids started to drift shut, and I was soon fast asleep.

I awoke what must have been hours later, my eyes and body sore. Blood's arms were still wrapped around me, making getting up somewhat impossible. I peeked up at his face and saw he was still sleeping. I felt my face heat up as I looked back down. _Had he stayed with me the whole time?_ I thought. I was afraid to move, not wanting to wake him up. In the middle of my worrying about how I was going to get up, I felt Blood start to stir. I tensed up, my face getting hotter. One of his hands on my back moved to my face. He tilted my face up so I would look at him. There was a small smile on his face.

"Good morning, sleepy," he said to me. I blushed even harder. He let go of me, chuckling. I rolled away from him and sat up, drawing my knees to my chest (did I mention I was only wearing a towel?). I felt like crying from embarrassment. I buried my face in my hands. While I was freaking out in my mind, I felt Blood's hand touch my back. I looked up at him, my eyes wide. He smiled down at me, and I blushed even more. I buried my face in my hands again, really embarrassed about the situation. Blood's hand stayed on my back, but his other hand went to my face, grabbing my chin. He lifted my head so I would look at him, and his face was a lot closer than I thought. I could feel his breath on my lips. My eyes went wide as he drew closer to me. Our lips were about to touch, when I heard running footsteps draw closer to my door. I pushed away from Blood, falling off the bed in the process. My door slammed open, and Elliot came in, a shocked expression on his face. I looked over the edge of the bed, rubbing the now sore spot on my head.

"How many times must I tell you to knock, Elliot?" Blood asked, sounding rather annoyed.

"B-but-! It's Alice!" Elliot nearly shouted.

"What about her?" I asked. I read a piece of his mind and soon regretted asking.

"Alice-! She-she's gone."

**Author's Note: Yeaaaaaaa, i added another cliff hanger. so sue me o-o. i enjoy writing them. keeps the reader's with me :D anyway, i appreciate all the good reviews i've been getting ^^ glad those who have read it like it so far~ and i apologize for slow updates. been wicked busy with school and what not :/ but i should have more time now that school's out for the summer~**


	4. IV

*MONTHS LATER, IN THE REAL WORLD*

"JESUS CHRIST ALMIGHTY WHERE THE HELL IS ARI?" Malory screamed. Ashley grimaced. She hated her friends arguing.

"We've looked everywhere, Mal!" Lexie yelled to Malory, "we still can't find her!"

"Well we've got to- WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Malory screamed as she fell down a gaping hole.

"Ohmigawd, what just hap- KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Lexie shrieked as she fell. Ashley came to see what the screaming was about, saw the chasm, and jumped down, the dare-devil.

"WOO-HOO!" she shouted. Melissa, Rachel, and Trisha fell, one after the other.

"What the fuck was that?" Trisha yelled.

"Like we would know!" Melissa shouted at her.

"Nice knowin' you all!" Malory yelled to all of them. Then everybody screamed.

*BACK IN WONDERLAND*

I walked around the woods toward the Clock Tower, having just left Hatter Mansion. I touched the mark I knew Blood had left on my neck, and blushed. _Hm, I miss my friends. I thin they'd like it here,_ I thought. I had reached the Clock Tower and could see Boris waiting for me. A huge grin formed on my face and I waved. He'd promised to take me to the Amusement Park to show me a new ride Gowland was working on. I started to walk towards him, when I heard a scream from above me. I stopped and looked up, a confused expression on my face. _Was that... MALORY'S SCREAM?_ I thought just in time to be crushed by her.

"Owwwww..." she moaned.

"Would you get off me!" I yelled at her. She sat up and stared at my face, a shocked expression on hers.

"OH MY GOD! ARI?" she shrieked.

"Yes, it's me. Now get off!" Instead of doing what I had asked, she glomped me.

"ACK! Choking. Not breathing," I choked out. She let go of me and stood, jumping up and down with joy. I heard more screams and looked up, my expression purely saying "oh shit". Lexie came down next, floating to a stop (thank god she was a fairy). Ashley came down with a crash, standing and simply brushing herself off. Rachel landed with a tap next to Lexie (thank god SHE was a witch). Trisha and Melissa landed in a jumbled heap on the ground. They both groaned in pain. I looked at them one at a time. Malory wore her normal jeans, striped v-neck top, and flip-flops outfit. Her orange cat tail swished back in forth in happiness, her blue eyes gleaming. Her bleached blond hair was down, ending at her mid-back. Lexie wore a strapless black slinky dress that dropped dangerously low to show her bat-like fairy wings. The dress ended just above her mid-thigh, and I could see her wearing a black garter on her right thigh. She had black and white striped stockings and knee high heeled boots. Her silver hoops reflected the sun's light, and were among a collection of many other earrings on her black tipped pointed ears. Her usual black metal armbands were still there, and she had elbow long purple fishnets gloves. Her jaw length spiky black hair was now dyed purple underneath. Ashley was wearing a mesh long sleeve top under a red strapless one, both cut off to show her monkey belly-button ring. Around her neck was a necklace with a banana as a charm. For bottoms she wore a white mini skirt with tears in it, and she had on her knee high fuzzy boots. She grinned at me, and I saw she had her snake bites in. Her wolf ears were perked up, and I could see her one gold hoop in the left one. Rachel wore a lilac dress with spaghetti straps that ended at her knees, black leggings, black ballet flats, and her black witches hat, a crescent moon dangling from the tip. Her brown hair was braided, and she had on her wire rimmed glasses. Trisha wore torn skinny jeans, black boots, a green spaghetti strap tank-top, and thick studded bracelets. her brown hair was up in a ponytail, and she had silver dangling earrings. Melissa had a pleated black and white plaid skirt over red fishnet stockings held up by a garter belt. She wore knee-high black converses and a red top, the sleeves going over her shoulders. Her dark red hair was put up into two ponytails. Around her neck was a lacy black choker with one large ruby dangling from the center.

I stared in disbelief at them. How the hell did they get here? I felt tears prick at my eyes I was so happy to see them.

"So who are these guys?" Boris asked from behind me, making me jump. I whipped around and saw him standing with a smirk on his, probably taking pride in the fact that he'd scared the now local vampire. I sighed, trying to control my urge to punch him, and turned around to face my friends.

"All right! Line up!" I yelled. They got into a straight line, and I introduced them one after the other. Then I said what they were.

"Malory, Ashley, Trisha, Lexie, Melissa, and Rachel. Malory is a cat demon, Ashley is a trouble-making were-wolf, Trisha is a vampire, like me, Lexie is a dark fairy, Melissa is half were-wolf half vampire, courtesy of me, and Rachel is a witch." I introduced. Rachel took a look at Boris, blushed, and looked away. Too bad for HER, Boris noticed. He walked over to her, looked her up and down, then took her hand and kissed it.

"Nice to meet ya," He said. Rachel just blushed harder.

"Ah, um, n-nice to meet you, too," Rachel mumbled.

"ANYWAY," Malory said, turning to me with anger in her eyes. If looks could kill...

"Ashley, you know what to do," she said. I became very afraid as Ashley came towards me, laughing maliciously. Then next second, I was on the ground laughing.

"S-s-s-stop it!" I shrieked.

"Ah, revenge is sweet," Ashley sighed.

"Where the hell have you been?" Malory yelled at me.

"H-here! Hahahahahahaha!"

"WHERE'S here?"

"W-Wonderland!" I shouted. Suddenly, the tickling stopped, and everybody stared at me. It was so quiet I swear I could see tumbleweed drift by.

"Um, we're WHERE?" Lexie asked.

"Am I the only one who gets what's going on?" Boris asked. Malory stormed up to me.

"What the hell have you been doing here? We were worr- OHMIGAWD, WHAT IS THAT ON YOUR NECK?" she yelled at me. I immediately covered the spot on my neck.

"It's nothing," I said, starting to panic.

"APPARENTLY NOT!" everybody crowded around me.

"Oh, my god, I think it's a hickey," Rachel pointed.

"Holy shit, it is!" Melissa nearly shouted, removing my hand.

"How the hell did you get THAT?" Trisha shrieked.

"Blood Dupre!" Boris and I shouted at the same time. I was starting to get sick of explaining this.

"OOOOOH! Who's he?" Ashley asked.

"Don't worry about that right now. Boris, we gonna go or what?" I asked. I just wanted to have fun at this point.

"Alright, let's go!" Boris exclaimed.

"Can we come too?" Rachel asked.

"Sure! The more the merrier!"

"We're coming too!" I heard in the distance. I watched as Dee and Dum ran towards us, passing my group of friends and coming up to me, grabbing onto my arms.

"Pretty lady, who are they?" Dee asked.

"And why are some of them dressed like sluts?" Dum chimed in. Big mistake.

"Okay, we are NOT sluts. We are sexy bitches. Got it?" Melissa yelled at them. Yeah she was mad.

"ALRIGHT already! Can we just go see what Gowland has up his sleeve this time?" I asked, getting annoyed. As soon as I said it, the twins were dragging me in the direction of the Amusement Park. When we reached it, I saw two of Gowland's employees waltzing towards us.

"Welcome honored guests!" they said at the same time.

"Are you here to see Gowland?" the male asked.

"Yup. You mind getting him?" Boris asked them.

"Sure thing!" the female said, then they walked off. As they walked away, I remembered something important.

"Boris, you got any on you?" I asked, hoping he knew what I was talking about. Thankfully, he did. He reached into his pocket and pulled out three vials of liquid with a heart shaped stopper.

"Dee, Dum, do you have any?" I asked them. They each pulled out two, "you guys rock!" I told them. They smiled at my praise. I took Boris's and two of the twins, then handed one to each of my friends.

"Alright, ladies. I need you to drink this," I said, "and I know it looks suspicious, but it's the only way you can stay."

"Well, bottoms up!" Ashley said, drinking the liquid. One after the other, they drank the medicine of the heart.

"Aw, YUCK!" Rachel said.

"THAT was gross," Trisha whined.

"Well, I see we have new guests!" I herd a voice boom behind me. I turned around, a huge grin on my face. That grin fell when I saw what was in his hand.

"And now a special song for them!" he said.

"NO! DON'T DO IT!" Boris yelled.

"HAVE MERCY!" the twins yelped.

"COVER YOUR EARS!" I yelled.

_SKREE, SKREE, SKREEEEETCH!_ I covered my ears as Gowland "played" his violin and sang. Ashley looked like she was about to go rabid.

"Lalala, la, la!" Gowland sang in complete bliss. _Make it stop, make it STOP, MAKE IS STOP!_ Arisu screamed in my head

"Cut it out Mary Gowland!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. He stopped and stared wide-eyed at me. I crossed my arms and glared, daring him to say anything bad about Blood. His eyes narrowed, and he glared back.

"Argh! You're lucky Blood has feelings for you!"

"And I him. You know if you want to get to Blood, you're going to have to go through _me_ first, and we _both_ know how that would turn out," I said, giving him the death stare.

"Ari! You _came_!" I heard a familiar voice squeak. Next thing I know, Pierce is glomping me. Because it was so unexpected, I fell to the ground with an "oof".

"YAAAAAAAY!"

"ACK! PIERCE! Don't _scare_ me like that!"

"OH MY GOD, who is he?" Rachel squealed. She loves cute things, and Pierce was most definitely cute. I stood up, Pirece's arms still wrapped tight around me.

"This is Pierce Villiers, the sleepy mouse. Though when I'M here, he isn't very sleepy," I explained, patting his head.

"He's so CUTE!" Melissa shrieked.

"Careful Pierce. If Blood finds you with his girl..." Boris trailed off from his sentence, letting us only imagine what he would do.

"Don't be so mean, Boris. He knows I only think of Pierce as a little brother," I told him. Suddenly, I felt someone pull me away from Pierce and wrap their arms around me.

"Sometimes I wonder," Blood whispered in my ear, biting it. I blushed fire.

"B-Blood! What are you doing here?" I stuttered.

"Oh my god, do you see how red her face is?" Melissa whispered to Malory and Ashley.

"I HEARD THAT!" I yelled at them. They just started chuckling.

"So who are they?" Blood asked.

"They're my friends, from my world," I answered, grabbing onto his arms, "the blond is Malory, the girl with her bottom lip pierced as Ashley, the witch is Rachel-"

"I thought witches killed you?"

"She's not a white witch. Don't interrupt," I said, smacking his arm, "the one wearing mostly red is Melissa, the girl with the wings is Lexie, and the girl I haven't mentioned yet is Trisha," Ashley skipped over to us, a huge grin on her face.

"So _you're _the one who gave her THAT," she said, pointing to the mark on my neck. I immediately started blushing again.

"Oooooh! He's CUTE!" Melissa said, coming over. I started to blush wild fire. I watched Boris start to flirt with Rachel, and my eyes went wide when I saw her start to blush as much as I was.

"Wait, Boris, ST-" Too late. A cloud of smoke appeared from where Rachel once stood. When it cleared, Boris was holding a small black kitten with a witches hat on. A small patch of white fur in the shape of a crescent moon was on her chest. I smacked my forehead.

"Uh, what just happened?" Boris asked, a confused look on his face.

"There was...one little thing I forgot to mention. Rachel is a shape-shifter _training_ to be a witch. When she gets mega embarrassed, she changes into an animal," I grimaced.

"How does she change back?" Boris asked while holding her up and looking into her eyes.

"Well, you kinda sorta have to...well...kiss her," I mumbled the last bit, and Rachel started meowing furiously in protest. She was definitely gonna get me back for that later...

"Um, I WHAT?"

"Well, funny story, a different witch put a curse on her so that this kind of thing would happen. She could change back normally before, but with the curse and all...yeah, she has to get kissed by someone of the opposite gender to change back," I explained rapidly to him. He looked back and forth between me and Rachel, shrugged his shoulders, and kissed her. Another cloud of smoke appeared, and when it cleared this time, Boris was holding Rachel again, this time bridal style.

"Put me down, put me down!" Rachel yelled, starting to blush again.

"Nye-heh heh. Okay, okay," Boris laughed as he set her down on the ground.

"So, what's this new ride you wanted to show off?" I asked, turning my head to Gowland. I became a little terrified when I saw an evil (?) grin pull across his face.

"It's still in testing, but _boy_ will it make the patrons _scream!_"

"I wanna go!" Ashley yipped. Again, the dare-devil.

"At least let him tell us what it is first!" I nearly snapped at her, poking her side. I watched her twitch, and she growled at me.

"It's a new roller coaster! The top drops straight down at almost thirty feet in the air!" _Is this guy for REAL?_ Arisu and I thought at the same time. I looked at Ashley and saw her twitching with excitement. Suddenly, she ran up to Gowland and started to jump up and down.

"PLEASE let me go on!" she whimpered, her tail swishing back and forth. She _really_ wanted to go on that roller coaster.  
>"I like her!" Gowland said to me while pointing down at Ashley. I sighed and shooed them away. They almost ran to the testing area.<p>

"Don't forget we have business to discuss!" Blood shouted after them.

"Let's follow them. I'm worried something bad will happen," I said to Blood, slipping out of his grip.

"Why do you say that?" he asked while grabbing my hand.

"Because if Ashley isn't causing trouble, it finds her anyway," I told while gripping his hand back and starting to run. We all ran after them, but we were already too late. Ashley was already on. I watched the ride slowly make it's way to the top. Before it fell, I could see Ashley was sitting in the front row.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I heard her scream as it fell. I smacked my forehead with my free hand. We all listened to Ashley's cheering and waited for the ride to come to a stop. When she got off, she was shaking and giggling like a maniac.

"Can I go again?" she asked between giggles.

"That's enough for one day," I said to her, a stern look on my face. I watched as her face turned into a pout.

"Gowland. We have business to discuss," Blood said. I turned my head to look at him, my face dropping. He looked down at me from the corner of his eye. Suddenly, he moved his head down and gently kissed me. My eyes were wide at first, but then they shut, and I kissed him back.

"Ahow,_ ahow_!" Melissa yelped. Ashley whistled at us as we pulled apart, blushing slightly. Well, at least _I_ was.

"Elliot. Let's go," Blood said. I looked behind me and saw Elliot standing there with his arms holding the back of his head, looking somewhat bored. Malory saw him and blushed slightly. _Fluffy..._ I heard in her head.

"Dooooown girl," I said to her. Out loud. She blushed even harder. The ones who _could_ read minds chuckled, while those who _couldn't_ stared at us like we had lost our minds. Blood let go of my hand and walked away with Gowland. Elliot was close behind, dragging the twins by the back of their coat collars. I turned to face my friends, a small grin on my face.

"Well, seeing as how the owner is out on business, I recommend I show you the rest of Wonderland," I gestured my arms out, "come."

Not long after, we were back at where everything started. I turned toward my friends and gestured to the building behind me.

"This is the Clock Tower. The residents here are Julius Monrey, the clockmaker, Nightmare, and Nightmare's assistant, Gray Ringmark. This area is the only one that isn't in war. The area we just left was the Amusement Park. The owner of that area is Mary Gowland. The kitty over here," I said, gesturing towards Boris, "is Boris Airay, another resident of that area. The mouse who glomped me, I have already introduced, and he's the third resident." I walked towards the Clock Tower, my friends close behind.

"Juliuuuuuuus!" I yelled as I walked in, "you've got COMPANY!" I kicked open his office door, and saw he was in his usual spot, working on his clocks. He looked up at me, an irritated look on his face.

"You're as loud as ever," ice dripped from his voice.

"And _you're_ still a work-a-holic!" I said as I flipped him off, my voice dripping with as much venom. We glared at each other, static going between us.

"Julius? What's all that noise? Is Ari here?" I could hear someone say down the hall. My friends turned around as Nightmare walked towards us, a small grin forming on his face when he saw me.

"I should have guessed," he said, shaking his head. He walked towards me, bent down, and knocked my head with his knuckles. I grinned wickedly.

"You been to the hospital yet?" I asked. He grimaced, and I saw goosebumps rise on his skin.

"Oooooo! Who's this?" Melissa asked, popping up behind me.

"My name is Nightmare," he introduced himself while taking her hand and kissing it. She turned slightly pink. I snickered at her face. Suddenly, I felt arms wrap around me, pinning my arms to my sides. My laughing stopped, and I glare at the arms that pinned me.

"...Gray, let go of me. Now," I hissed.

"Um...no," he said in my ear, starting to nibble on it. I elbowed him in the gut, and his hold loosened enough for me to slip through.

"In case you hadn't realized it yet, this is Gray," I grimaced, my voice icy.

"_Ouch!_ You hurt my poor heart," he mocked. I simply glared at him.

"Anyway, I just dropped by to introduce everyone," I said to Julius, "Malory, Ashley, Rachel, Lexie, Trisha, and Melissa," I pointed out who was who as I listed off their names.

"Melissa, hm? Pretty name for a pretty girl," Nightmare said while looking down at her. Her face turned a red as her shirt.

"I think she's melting," Trisha said. I looked out of the corner of my eye, yet instead of seeing Trisha, I saw Lexie's true form. Her hair was longer, as well as her ears. Her arms were completely black from her fingertips and slowly faded to white at her elbows. Her nails were longer, almost claw like. Her dress was a light purple and nearly see through, two long slits were ripped from the bottom to her hip. Her irises swirled with silver, black, and purple. I watched her laugh at Melissa's situation, and could see her long canines. I shivered. No matter how many times I saw it, her true form always scare and fascinated me.

"Well, we have other places. Later boys!" I yelled as I left the building. Not long after, we were on our way to Heart Castle, my least favorite area because of HIM.

"ARIIIIIIII!" I heard just in time to be glomped by him.

"Speak of the devil..." I mumbled.

"You came to see me! I'm so happyyyyy!" Peter nearly shouted, hugging me tighter.

"Let go of me you CREEP!" I yelled, trying to push him off, but to no avail.

"OHMIGAWD! Are those RABBIT EARS?" Ashley shrieked. Peter looked over at her, his ears perked. His grip on me loosened, and I slipped away from him. Suddenly, Peter was on the ground, Ashley on top of him. His eyes were wide, and Ashley had a look of pure happiness on her face. She pet his ears, and her grin grew.

"Bunnyyyyy..." she purred. Her tail swished back and forth. I caught a glimpse of what she would do if things continued, then ran over and pulled her off of Peter.

"Let me goooooo!" she whined. I shook my head as Peter stood up, dusting himself off.

"Everyone," I grimaced, "this is Peter White, the prime minister at Heart Castle," my voice choked as I said his name. Ashley's face held a pout. Suddenly, there was a rustling in the bushes behind me. I turned around and saw Ace step out from them. My face relaxed into a smile when I saw him. Sure, we've come close to killing each other a few times (him closer to death more than me), but he was still a good friend. He was TOTALLY fine with the fact that I occasionally drank from him, and those types of people are really rare these days.

"Huh? I actually found it this time? Oh, hey Ari! What's up?" he asked as he walked towards me. I felt Ashley start to shake, and my face paled.

"Uh, gonna need some help!" I yelled to Trisha and Melissa. Trisha's eyes went red, and Melissa bent into a crouch, her eyes turning gold from her wolf.

"Ace, you might want to stand back a few feet. Like, right now," I said to him. He backed off, and I let Ashley go. She fell to the ground, shaking violently. I could hear her bones realign themselves. Fur began to grow, as well as her claw and teeth. Her clothes tore, and she stood again, this time as a pure black wolf. Her ice blue eyes glared at me. She crouched and growled, showing her canines. I crouched down and met her gaze, my eyes turning ice blue. I bared my fangs and hissed, showing her I wasn't afraid of her. We stared at each other until she suddenly lunged at me, her teeth aimed for my throat. I smacked away her jaw and punched her ribs, no doubt breaking some. She yelped, but quickly shook it off. She leaped at me and I bent backwards at my knees. I grabbed the fur of her chest and flipped her onto her back. Melissa showed up and held Ashley on her back. Ashley started shaking again, and I turned to Ace.

"Ace, gimme your coat."

"Uh, why?"

"Do you WANT to see a naked Ashley? If not, gimme your coat," I explained. His eyes went wide, and he gave me his blood red coat. I took it and walked over to Ashley. She was back in her human form and glared at the coat in my hand.

"Put on the coat," I said, holding it out.

"Don't wanna."

"PLEASE put it on?"

"Nope."

"Ashley, put on the damn coat."

"I don't wanna put the fucking coat on!"

"I said 'put on the damn coat'!"

"NO!"

"Haaaa...Melissa, hold down her legs," I sighed, Melissa nodded as I motioned Trisha over and asked her to help me.

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" Ashley screamed as I wrestled to get the coat on her. After a long while of fighting, biting, and scratching, the coat was finally on a very pissed off Ashley.

"...I'm gonna fucking murder you," she growled as she stood.

"Love you too, Ashley," I said, rolling my eyes. The coat was huge on her, going past her feet and pooling on the ground. The sleeves went way past her hands. I giggled at the sight of her, and she growled at me.

"Why was she refusing to take the coat before?" Ace asked, popping up behind me. I sighed and shrugged my shoulders.

"Because if Ashley had the freedom to, she'd be a nudist."

"Damn STRAIGHT!" she yelled. I shook my head.

"Ah! You're bleeding!" Ace exclaimed, pointing at my arm, hand, and stomach.

"What? My dearest is hurt?" Peter said frantically, rushing over to me.

"Easy there, Pete," Boris said.

"You know what would happen if Blood caught you with Ari," Ace chimed in. Peter's ears dropped, as well as Ashley's face. She walked over to Peter and hugged his waist. Peter looked down at her as she hugged him, confusion written across his face.

"Don't be upset! I don't like sad bunnies!" she whimpered. It seriously looked like she was gonna cry.

"ALRIGHTY then! I think it's time we met the queen!" I said, clapping my hands together.

"I can take you to her!" Ace volunteered.

"No thanks Ace. You'll just get us lost."

"I find your lack of confidence in me somewhat _hurtful_, Ari. But I must agree with you."

"Good boy," I said, patting his head. I climbed onto his back and pointed forward, "now MUSH!"

"I'm not a dog!" he yelled at me. I thumped his head.

"Just go," I said. Ace chuckled and started to walk towards the castle.

"Welcome, honored guests," a faceless maid said to us. Ace and I nodded at her.

"Okaaaaaaaay...stop now!" I instructed. He stopped and waited, "now turn right," I tapped his right arm so he knew which direction to go in. He turned right until we reached the end of the hallway, where a large pair of doors stood. We walked through them and entered the meeting room. I looked up and saw the large balcony that the Queen of Hearts, Vivaldi, sat in. She saw me, and her face brightened.

"Ari! You have come to see us! We are most pleased!" she smiled brightly as she made her way down from her perch. I climbed off of Ace's back and walked forward to meet her. We hugged each other. She was always a great person to talk to when I needed it. She looked behind me at my friends.

"We see you have brought guests with you," she said as she released me.

"Oh! These are my friends Malory, Rachel, Lexie, Ashley, Trisha, and Melissa," I counted them off, and Vivaldi listened intently. When I finished, she smiled at them.

"Any friend of Ari's is a friend of ours," she said calmly. I grinned.

"Well, we really must be going," I proclaimed.

"So soon?" Vivaldi asked as she turned towards me.

"I need to show them the last territory. Don't worry, we'll be able to chat later," I said, winking at her. She picked up on my hint and smiled.

"Come back for tea soon!" she said as I climbed back on Ace's back.

"Will do! Now mush!" I yelled at Ace.

"I'm not a dog!" he yelled back, a smile on his face.

"MUSH!" I yelled again, pointing forward. He shook his head, laughing, and walked out the doors, my friends close behind. We reached the end of the hallway and turned left (as instructed), then walked out of the building.

"THIS is where I leave," Ace said. I got off of his back and hugged him. He hugged me back, then walked back into the castle, Peter not far behind him. I saw Ashley still attached to his arm, and I ran up and pulled her away from him.

"We still got places to see Ashley."

"NOOOOOO! I wanna stay with the BUNNY!"

"You can see him later! I still need to show you Hatter Mansion!"

"HMPH!" she grumbled. I rolled my eyes and went to pick up her torn clothes.

"Sooooo," Lexie said, popping up next to me, "where to now?"

"Hatter Mansion," I informed her as I walked in the direction of my home.

**Author's Notes: SO! chapter four is up~ hurrah for me~~ the first time i wrote this, it took me...four or five days to write out. maybe more. i lost track (yes, the original story is up on dA). and the sad thing is, the newest characters are based off my friends, and it is EXACTLY how they would act. this is what i live with XD still love em though~ thanks again for all the reviews! and about the whole jumping ahead thing, don't worry, i made a side story to explain what happened during Ari's time alone in Wonderland. it's funny so far, and i hope you guys will enjoy it ^^**


	5. V

We walked up to the gates, and I saw Dee and Dum in their (non) usual spots.

"Lady!" they said at the same time.

"Hey guys! When did you get back?" I asked as they ran up and hugged me.

"Not long ago," Dee informed me.

"Good thing you came back when you did. Boss was starting to get antsy!" Dum grinned mischievously. I snickered with the boys.

"OI! Aren't you two supposed to be _working_?" I heard Elliot shout. I looked up and saw him with an aggravated expression on his face.

"Shuttup, Blondie!" Dee yelled.

"We're seein' the pretty lady, chickie rabbit!"

"Blondie chickie rabbit?" Malory questioned as she came up behind me.

"It's their nickname for Elliot. His full name is Elliot March, by the way," I explained. I saw her blush slightly, and decided to tease her a little. _Think he's cute NOW? You should see him shirtless,_ I whispered in her head. She started blushing wild fire, and I laughed again.

"Elliot? Can you come here for a second?" I asked, a sly grin on my face. I tapped the twins shoulders and gave them a mental message. They grinned wickedly and let go of me. Elliot had a confused look plastered to his face as he walked towards us. I quickly got behind Malory and pushed her towards Elliot. Both of their expressions held shocked confusion as they fell to the ground. Kissing.

"YES!" the twins and I whooped at the same time. I could hear everybody laughing in the background. Malory sat up immediately, her face turning a bright scarlet. Elliot started blushing madly, his eyes wide with shock. I could hear Boris laughing hysterically, and the twins were clutching their stomachs. I laughed as Malory and Elliot went completely frozen.

"Judging from the laughing, you and the twins have been up to mischief. Again," Blood said as he walked towards me. I looked up at his face as he wrapped his arm around my waist. I looked back at Malory and Elliot, and saw Malory had fallen over, her face completely red. Elliot's face was still red, but he tried to help her stand. The gentleman. Or in this case gentle HARE. Suddenly, the sky turned from midday, to midnight.

"Holy shit what just happened?" Melissa exclaimed.

"Um, well, time's a little...funky here," I told her as Blood pulled me closer to him, "I recommend you either stay here or go to a different territory asap. It can get," He started to bite my neck, "d-dangerous out in the woods," the hand on my waist slowly traveled up my torso.

"Nye~heh. Rachel gets to come with me!" Boris said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She turned a slight pink as they walked in the direction of the Amusement Park.

"We're going to da castle!" Ashley, Trisha, and Lexie said at the same time. I waved after them, then looked back at Malory. As expected, she had passed out.

"Elliot, can you take Malory to a room, please?" I squeaked out the last word as Blood licked my neck. Elliot nodded and motioned for the boys to leave. He picked up Malory and walked off into the mansion.

"Now that we're alone..." Blood mumbled against my skin (he was REALLY in the mood). He turned me around to face him, a small grin on his face. He pulled me against him, closing what little distance was between us. He bent his head and our lips touched, kissing me passionately. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him back. My mouth opened and his tongue raked across the inside of it. I shivered, then pulled away. My eyes opened, and I saw we were in his room. _Huh,_ I thought, _must have taken us here while we were kissing._ I could feel Blood leaving a trail of kisses down my neck, and I shivered again. He picked me up and brought me over to the bed. I closed my eyes again and kissed him as I suddenly felt the mattress under me. His body pressed against mine, and I let out a moan. I heard him chuckle as he pulled down my stockings. We took off our gloves, then I undid the buttons on his shirt and vest, taking them off. Slowly, but surely, our clothes ended up on a pile on the floor. I moved my fingers slowly up his back and felt goosebumps form on his skin. I grinned slightly, then kissed the hollow of his throat. His hands gripped my back, and it was my turn to chuckle. I rolled us both over until he was on his back. I stared down at him, my hair falling around my face. His hand cupped my face, and I turned my head slightly to kiss the palm of it. He smiled, then brought my head down to his. Hours later, we were both out of breath. His head was on my chest, listening to me breath. My fingers tangled in his hair. I felt my eyes start to drift shut, and soon we were both asleep.

*MELISSA POV*

Melissa walked towards the Clock Tower. In the distance, she could hear a wolf howl, and she jumped. Her pace quickened as she walked towards the door. Once inside, she let out a sigh.

"Hm? Someone's here?" Nightmare questioned as he walked past the door, stopping. Melissa felt her face get a little warmer, "Ah! You're one of Ari's friends. Melissa, correct?" Melissa nodded, glad he remembered her name, "please, come in. We have rooms," he said as he motioned for her to follow. He led her down a series of hallways until he stopped in front of a door. He opened it and motioned for Melissa to enter. The room was somewhat plain, holding just a bed, dresser, mirror, and bedside table with a lamp. The room was white and had a window seat piled with pillows. Melissa felt a pang in her heart. The room was eerily similar to THAT one.

"My room is right across from here if you need anything," Nightmare said as he started to leave. Melissa plastered a smile to her face and turned to face him.

"Thank you for the room," she said. Nightmare gave her a strange look, then left the room. As soon as the door shut, Melissa's face fell, and tears pricked at her eyes. She walked over to the bed and pulled off her converses. Lifting the hem of her skirt slightly, she pulled out a folded up and worn out photo from her stockings. Unfolding the photo, she stared at the picture of a red headed female and dirty blond male. His arm was wrapped around the woman's shoulders, and each was smiling brightly. Tears started to fall down Melissa's face as she stared at the photo. She brought it to her face and cried into it.

"Oh, James..." she sobbed. She fell onto her side and curled into a ball, and for another of many nights, she cried herself to sleep.

"HA!" Melissa gasped as she woke up, sitting upright. She ran her fingers through her hair and was covered in a cold sweat. She was always haunted by Jame's death. She sat there, gulping down desperately needed air for what seemed like hours before she stood and walked over to Nightmare's room. She stood in front of his door and gently knocked.

"...What is it?" a voice answered her knock. Melissa put down her hair and opened the door, finding the room to be completely dark.

"Um...it's me," Melissa said quietly, her voice raw from crying. She heard a creaking noise, then suddenly a lamp was lit. Melissa's pupils shrank at the sudden brightness, and she couldn't see for a minute. She shut her eyes, and when she opened them, Nightmare was staring down at her. His hand lifted to her face, and he rubbed his thumb across her cheek.

"...You've been crying," he said quietly. Melissa's eyes went wide, and her heart throbbed again, this time for different reasons. Nightmare's face for a brief moment with pain. He stepped back and motioned for her to enter. Her face went a slight pink as she walked in. Nightmare took her hand and pulled her over to the bed. Lying on his side, he pulled Melissa onto the bed and into his arms. He reached over her and turned off the lamp, and it was completely dark again. Melissa's eyes were wide and her face felt like it was on fire. Her body went stiff when she felt Nightmare's hands on her back, which made him chuckle.

"You came here because you can't sleep alone, right?" he asked quietly. Melisa felt tears prick her eyes again. One of Nightmare's started to stroke her hair, and she began to relax. Soon both of them were asleep.

*Rachel*

"Jesus Boris, would ya _stop clinging to me?_" a blushing and annoyed Rachel shouted as she pushed away Boris for the up-teenth time.

"Aaaaaaw, but you're just so cute when you get all embarrassed, how _can_ I leave you alone?" Boris replied, a wicked grin on his face as he glomped her again. Rachel groaned.

"AH, we're here!" Boris exclaimed. Taking Rachel's hand, he walked towards where he lived. Once inside, Boris let go of Rachel's hand and sat down on his bed, taking off his shoes. Rachel looked around the room. There was a huge banner with a skull and cross bones designed on it, and under the banner was a collection of weapons.

"Relax, will ya?" Boris said to her. She heard a soft thump and turned to see what it was. What she SAW was Boris with his shirt off. Rachel's face went completely red, and covered her eyes. Boris cocked his head in confusion. With her eyes still covered, Rachel took off her shoes, then walked over to Boris's bed and sat down. She felt his hand touch her back, and a cloud of smoke appeared. When it cleared, Rachel was in her cat form, her eyes shut tight with her paws covering them. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it was gonna fly out of her. She felt hands wrap around her midsection and gently lift her. Boris chuckled, then kissed her as he did before. Another cloud of smoke appeared, and Rachel was back in her human form, her eyes still closed and covered. Boris removed Rachel's hands, then kissed her softly. Her eyes snapped open, and she stared at Boris's face as he kissed her. After awhile, her eyes drifted shut, and she kissed him back. He started to kiss her harder, and soon she was on her back, her hand pinned. _Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god,_ Rachel repeated in her head, her heart beating like a jack-hammer. She could feel herself start to change again, so she grabbed a pillow, and smushed it in Boris's face when he pulled away.

"TOO FAST!" she yelled. Boris pulled the pillow from his face, revealing a pouting expression. Rachel sat up and took the pillow from him, clutching it to her chest tightly.

"Don't be such a grouchy puss," she said, thumping his head with the pillow. She took off her hat and reached into it, trying to find her pajamas. When she found them, she pulled them out, then un-braided her hair, dropping the elastics into her hat.

"How did...?" Boris asked, a confused expression on his face.

"It's a magic hat. Training witches usually get rid of them when they learn how to summon objects. It comes in handy sometimes," she explained as she dropped her glasses into her hat, "I can put anything in here. Now turn around."

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaw..." Boris whined with mock sarcasm. Rachel threw the pillow at his head as he chuckled. Making sure he didn't peek, Rachel quickly changed into her pajamas. When she was done, she flicked the little golden fish skeleton on Boris's tail. He jumped, then turned to face Rachel. She started to laugh at him.

"What's so funny?" Boris asked.

"You jumped. Scaredy-cat," Rachel chuckled.

"Shut up!" Boris whined, starting to blush. Rachel giggled again and laid back on the bed. She rolled onto her side as Boris turned off the lights. She started to shut her eyes when she felt Boris curl up behind her, putting his hand on her stomach. She started to protest, but Boris was already fast asleep.

*Ashley and Trisha*

"HEY LADIES, DROP IT DOWN! JUST WANNA SEE YA TOUCH THE GROUND!" Trisha and Ashley sang to the song blasting from Ashley's...um...modified iPod. Ashley rolled her hips to the beat as they walked to Heart Castle. When the song was over, Trisha changed the song to "Pour Some (Sugar On Me)", and soon both were singing at the top of their lungs. Ashley looked ahead and could see the castle. She turned down the volume and walked towards the gate.

"Welcome, Guests! Do you need somewhere to sleep?" a faceless female asked. She had the four of spades printed on her outfit. Ashley nodded, and the woman led them inside. They were led down a series of hallways when they ran into Peter. Ashley' face immediately lit up when she saw the rabbit eared man. She ran up to him and hugged his waist, squeezing tightly. He looked down at her, confused on what to do.

"Bunny..." she mumbled into his side. _God, he smells good..._ she thought. Her eyes started to shut, and she fell asleep holding onto Peter. He stared to panic, then Trisha came up to him.

"I recommend you take her some place she can sleep not standing. Preferably to your room, unless you want her going nuts trying to find you in the middle of the night," Trisha explained. Her eyes flashed for a brief moment with pain, knowing sh had lost the fight for Peter before it even began. The maid led her away to her room, leaving Peter to worry about a now sound asleep Ashley.

*Lexie* 

Lexie flitted through the forest, trying to find the castle. She had gotten separated (and lost) from Trisha and Ashley, and was hoping they were safe. She was worrying so much about them, she didn't even notice Ace before she collided with him.

"Ooooow..." they both groaned. Lexie felt something heavy on top of her, and she opened one eye. Ace sat up , rubbing the back of his head. Both of their eyes went wide when thy say what position they were in. Ace was on top of Lexie, on e of his legs between hers. Lexie's face felt like it was on fire, and she saw Ace blush slightly. He quickly got off of her and helped her stand, her face bright red.

"Are you alright?" Ace asked. Lexie nodded in response, "you're on of Ari's friends! Lexie, right?" she beamed and nodded again.

"I was actually headed for the castle, but...I sorta got lost," Lexie explained, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment.

"No problem! I get lost all the time! I actually about to build a tent. You can sleep in there with me if you want," Ace offered. Being the perv she was, Lexie blushed wild fire. She watched as Ace set up the tent, hugging herself against the cold. When the tent was built, Ace waved for her to come inside. She crawled in and took off her boots and stockings, revealing the mark of the Unseelie Court on her ankle. She dove into her sleeping bag, trying to warm up. Ace took off his jacket and crawled into his own sleeping bag.

"Ace?" Lexie said quietly, "I'm kinda cold. Could I borrow your coat?" Ace shut off the light, then gave Lexie his shirt (her not knowing it). She put her arms through the sleeves, and was about to fall asleep when she heard her sleeping bag unzip. Something pressed against her back, and she tensed.

"Ace, what are you doing?" she managed to squeak out.

"Well, you took my shirt, so I got cold," he replied nonchalantly.

"Your shi-why didn't you just give me your jacket?"

"Not sure..."

"Oh for the love of..." Lexie groaned. Then it dawned on her what was happening. Ace's shirt was on Lexie. Ace wasn't wearing a shirt. And he was in her sleeping bag. Lexie's face went red and her heart beat fast. This was promising to be a very long night.

**Author's Notes: WOW i am on a ROLL today! and OTL YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HARD IT IS TO KEEP UP WITH SO MANY CHARACTERS. i manage though :D and it all works out (in my opinion). and about that ONE SCENE...i bleeped it out. SAVE IT FOR THE ONE SHOTS LATTAH :D (sad thing is i actually right that stuff. E-GADS). anywho, enjoy~**


	6. VI

I awoke in the same position I fell asleep in. Blood's breath was slow and even, so I figured he was still asleep. I slowly got out from under him so he wouldn't wake up. He rolled over onto his side, a small sigh escaping him. I smile, then leaned down to kiss his forehead. I walked over to the door and peeked out to see if anyone was around, then ran back to my room and shut the door. I walked over to my closet and pulled out a pair of black short-shorts and a white tank top, then walked over to my dresser to find my red stockings. When I found those, I grabbed them and my red suspenders and quickly got dressed. I rummaged through my drawers again and found my black biker gloves, the cut in the shape of a heart. I yanked on a pair of ankle high boots after then walked out of my room, humming "The Ballad of Mona Lisa" as I walked to the kitchen. I grabbed a green apple of of the counter when I got there, and was about to bite down when I heard footsteps running towards the kitchen. I paused, trying to figure out who was running, when I was knocked over by someone.

"You are so fucking DEAD!" Malory yelled at me. I sat up and rubbed the back of my head.

"A, _I'm already dead!_ B, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" I yelled as I stood up.

"You made me ki- ki- Elliot!"

"I'm sorry, what was that?" I taunted. Her face went red.

"KISS! YOU MADE ME KISS ELLIOT!"

"Aw, you know you liked it." Her face was completely red. I jumped up onto the counter and bit into my apple. After about five minutes, Malory calmed down (ish) and looked at me. She smirked.

"Well _somebody_ had fun last night," she said. I nearly choked on my apple.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about," I stammered, blushing madly.

"Bullshit. You're glowing. Not to mention I can smell him all over you." I blushed wild fire, and she laughed at me. I grumbled, then an evil glint flashed in my eye. I decided to fight back by singing a Kesha song to make fun of her situation.  
>"<em>Maybe I need some rehab, or maybe just need some sleep.<em>"

"Don't even start."

"_I've got a sick obsession, I'm seein' it in my dreams!_"

"Shut it." I went up to her and poked her side.

"_I'm lookin' down every alley! I'm lookin' this desperate 'cause!_" She was near her braking point. I could hear her start to sing the next lyric.

"_I'm stayin' up all night hopin', hit my head against the wall!_" We both sang the next verse.

"_What you got, boy, is hard to find! I think about it, all the time! I'm all strung out, my heart is fried! I just can't get you, off my mind!_" Soon we were singing at the top of our lungs (of course _I_ sang the slumber party bit). When the song was over, we started singing "Medicine Man" by the Hush Sound.

"I thought I heard singing," we both heard. We stopped short and slowly turned towards the owner of the voice. Elliot was leaning casually against the door frame, still wearing his pajamas.

"Uh, QUICK! JEDI MIND TRICK!" Malory yelled.

"These are not the droids you are looking for," I said calmly, lifting my hand and moving it across my face. We both burst out laughing, and Elliot stared at us like we were crazy. After awhile, our laughter died down, and we were clutching our sore sides.

"Pretty lady and her friend are up!" Two voices said simultaneously from the doorway. I looked up only to be glomped by Dee and Dum, and I fell to the ground.

"Ack! You guys are getting too big for this," I said as they helped me stand, "you're as tall as me now!"

"No, I think they're taller," Malory chanted, grinning wickedly.

"Shut up, Miss Triple-D," I teased. The twins and I laughed at her blushing face.

"SHUT UP!" she yelled while she hit the back of our heads. Hard.

"Ooooooooooow..." we groaned, clutching our heads.

"Serves you right!" she snapped.

"Um, what are you...?" Elliot asked, a confused expression on his face. An evil smile flashed across my own.  
>"Well, my dear, sweet, ignorant Elliot," I started, walking over to Malory and standing behind her, "we're talking about <em>these<em>," I said, grinning evilly as I grabbed her boobs and lifted them. Her face went tomato red, and I saw Elliot's turn a nice shade of pink. The twins and I burst into wild laughter.

"You're so DEAD, LEMIRE!" Malory shrieked as I let go of her. I ran away, squealing. Dee and Dum ran with me as we were chased by the angry cat demon. We ran through the halls and into the twins death trap of a room, hopefully losing Malory. We pressed ours ears against the door, listening for Malory. We heard her pass by, then let out a sigh of relief.

"You guys go get dressed. I'll keep a look out," I told them. They nodded, then walked off to change, and I pressed my ear back against the door, closing my eyes to focus. A few minutes later, Dee tapped my shoulder to get my attention. I opened my eyes and turned my head to look at them. They both wore matching suits, but Dee's tie was blue while Dum's was red. I nodded, then opened the door, looking down both ends of the hallway for any sign of Malory. When I didn't see any, I quietly walked out and motioned for the twins to follow.

"You guys are dead," Malory seethed, making us jump. We slowly turned to face her, and could actually see a black aura coming off of her. We broke out into our "run for our bloody lives" sprint until we were outside.

"Does this kind of thing happen often?" Dum asked as he ran next to me, smiling.

"Most definitely," I replied with a huge grin. We ran into the garden, where some of the employees were clearing off the table. I skidded to a halt, and the twins bumped into me. Malory bumped into us soon after.

"Woah, why'd you stop?" Malory asked. I turned to face them, a mischievous grin on me face.

"Lady and gentlemen, I have just come up with an _excellent_ idea!" I exclaimed, my face brightening up.

"I'M scared," Malory said, starting to back away.

"Oh, calm down, it's not like that. I was just thinking that we should have a tea party! It is Blood's turn to host something, right?" I asked the twins, turning to them. They nodded in response, "so then it's settled! We shall have a glorious tea party! Come on," I said, grabbing Malory's hand, "Let's go work on the invitations!"

An hour later, the invites were made and on their way to the residents of Wonderland (at least the role-holders). Malory and I were out in the shopping district looking for something to wear.

"This is gonna take _forever!_" Malory whined.

"Oh don't be such a killjoy! We'll find ya something!"

"Ugh. I hate shopping. Where'd ya get the money, anyway?"

"By earning my keep at the mansion. You know, mafia stuff. Mostly killing people."

"Ah. Wait, those people are the mafia?"

"Yup."

"Good grief."

"Meh. You get used to it. Ooh! This looks promising!" I exclaimed, dragging her into a store selling lolita outfits. I looked through the clothes racks until I found a light blue strapless dress with a little hat and cut off sleeves adorned with ribbons. I pulled it off the rack and shoved Malory into a dressing room with the outfit.

"DUDE!" she yelled.

"Just try it on!" I snapped back. I could hear her muttering something about how entirely and completely ridiculous this entire thing was as I walked back to the clothes rack to find my outfit.

"Get back over here!" Malory yelled. I sighed, walking back over to Malory. She walked out of the dressing room wearing the outfit, her face a slight pink. My face brightened when I saw her.

"You look so pretty!" I squealed, hugging her tightly. She blushed harder.

"Shuttup!"

"AH! We should fin you some shoes!"

"But I-"

"SHOES!" I snapped, dragging her towards the shoe section. I immediately grabbed a pair of chunky light blue Mary-Janes and gave them to Malory.

"Can I change back now?" she whined. I shooed her away after finding a pair of white knee high socks with a lace trim and throwing them at her. She very nearly ran back to the dressing room. I sighed and walked back to the clothes rack. I looked through them, then pulled out an outfit that was a vibrant purple in the corset and a turquoise green in the skirt and sleeves, and there was a large purple ribbon tied on the back. It came with fishnets for my arms and legs, and a black bow tie. I grabbed the outfit and walked into a dressing room. As I pulled my shirt over my head, I caught a glimpse of the scar Dee and Dum had given me not three weeks prior. We had been fighting, and Dee had gotten in a lucky shot near my heart. The blade he used had been silver, so only the scar would remain. I stroked it, sighing softly. Shaking my head to focus, I quickly pulled on the dress, finding the skirt to be shorter than it looked. I shrugged it off, then quickly changed back into my clothes and walked to the shoe section. I quickly found a pair of knee high high heeled boots that had straps clipped to the sides and looping around the back.

"Ari? Where'd you go? I found an _awesome_ hat that I think you'll love!" Malory yelled from a different section of the store. I started to walk to where she was when I felt a pang in my chest. I could smell blood. I looked out the window and saw someone with a bleeding arm. My eyes went wide as they changed to an ice blue. I stood there completely frozen until Malory tugged my arm.

"Are you alright?" she asked, even though it was apparent that something was wrong. I shook my head, and my eyes went back to normal.

"I'm okay. Let's just go buy our stuff," I said, pointing towards the cash register. She nodded, but still looked a little cautious.

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot!" Malory exclaimed, then plopped a large top hat on my head.

"What the-?" I started, taking it off. The hat matched my outfit perfectly, the ribbon being the same purple and the hat itself green.

"Just stick a ten six card in there and it'll be perfect!" she teased, grinning wickedly.

"Well at least I know _Elliot_ will like your outfit," I said with a cheesy grin.

"Shuttup."

"Aw, you know I'm right," I taunted as I payed for our outfits, "you really do look good in that outfit."

"Meh."

"Grouchy puss."

"MEH."

"You know, I'm in the mood for some ice cream."

"ME-wait what?"

"Come on!" I groaned, grabbing her hand and dragging her to the ice cream shop.

*Rachel*

_Oh god, what time is it?_ Rachel thought to herself. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, Boris's arm- _wait, WHAT?_ Rachel looked down to see Boris still fast asleep. Her face started to turn red as her heart rate kicked up. She sat completely frozen until she heard a tap at the window. Shaking her head to clear it, she removed Boris's arm and walked over to the window. Opening it, a small black bat flew in, carrying and envelope. Rachel immediately recognized it as one of Ari's familiars and extended her hand to it. She took the envelope from it's mouth as it landed on her hand, then it flew back out the window. Rachel opened the envelope and took out two cards, one labeled for her, the other labeled for Boris. She flipped hers open as she closed the window.

"Mmmm, what time is iiiiiit?" Boris moaned, stretching his arms. Rachel, without looking, threw the card onto his lap. She read hers in silence.

_Hey Rachel-la!  
><em>_So, yeah, I'm gonna have an awesome tea party BITCHES! This idea is awesome, you know it, be jealous you didn't think of it before me. *Cough cough* ANYWHO, I'm throwing a glorious tea party where da chickies wear LOLITA! WE GONNA BE SMEXY BITCHES! So, yeah, get your outfit ready, and you better look awesome or else I will hunt you down and EATS YO SOUL! Lawl, I'm just kidding. Anyway, the party is tomorrow (there's clocks, don't trust the sky -_-), and I shall see you then! Love ya loads!_

_ ~Ari Lemire_

Rachel looked over at Boris wondering what his card said. Judging from the suppressed laughter, it couldn't have been good.  
>(Okay, this isn't part of the story, I just wanted you guys to know what his card said)<p>

_'Ello, senore Pussy-cat!  
>So, I hope you and Rachel are enjoying each other's company (bow chika bow wow). Anywho, I shall be having a marvelous tea party, and dis be yo invite! There shall be singing, dancing, tea, pastries, and (drum roll please) BOOZE (hm, I think this was supposed to be Ace's invite...)! And booze means a drunk Rachel! And may I point out that she is a VERY flirtatious drunk (hint hint, wink wink). Just thought I'd tell you that. And if I find out that she found out that I told you, I will hunt you down and slay you. Not kill, slay. There is a difference. Anyway, the party is tomorrow, so be ready, and DON'T LET HER SEE THE CARD! Toodles!<br>~Ari Lemire_

When Boris was done reading the card, he folded it back up and tried further to suppress his giggles. Rachel shook her head, not wanting to know what Ari had told him. Sighing, she picked up her hat and rummaged through it, trying to find her clothes. She pulled out a pair of Capri jeans and a black shirt. The shirt's neck hung low, and the sleeves were completely slit and tied at the shoulder and elbow.

"Turn around," Rachel ordered. Boris simply covered his face with a pillow and rolled onto his stomach. She sighed, then started to change out of her pajamas.

"Can I get up now?" Boris' muffled voice came from the pillow. Rachel jumped and quickly put on her shirt and jeans.

"Uh, y-yeah..." she mumbled. Boris immediately stood up and stretched. Rachel couldn't help but stare at the way his muscles rippled as he stretched. He bent to pick up his shirt, then pulled it over his head.

"Um, where are we going?" Rachel asked as Boris put on his shoes, Rachel soon doing the same.

"To find you an outfit. Duh," Boris replied bluntly. Rachel felt her face get hot as Boris grabbed her hand and his boa. They left his place and went into the shopping district, him stopping soon after arriving. Rachel could see is nose wiggle as he sniffed the air.

"Uh, Boris? What are you-"

"'Ello, Senore Pussy-cat!"

*Ari*

After exclaiming my hello from outside the ice cream shop, Boris turned and waved at Malory and I while we ate our ice cream. I stood up and started to walk towards them when something caught my eye. I looked up to see a bat flying towards me, then lifted my arm to my mouth and bit down. The bat landed on my wound and was absorbed back into my body.

"So I take it you got my invites?" I asked when I reached them, a bright smile on my face.

"Uh, yeah, we did. What the hell was _that?_" Boris asked as he pointed at me now healed arm.

"Oh, that? That bat was one of my familiars. I absorb them back into my body when their deed is done. It's a vampire thing, you wouldn't understand."

"Uh-huh. But yes, we got the invites, and now we're looking for her outfit," Boris explained, wrapping his arm around Rachel's shoulders.

"We just got ours," Malory said with an annoyed tone, licking her ice cream.

"Ignore her. She hates shopping."

"Shut up Ari. You're still on my 'To Kill' list."

"NYEH!"

"Oh god, what'd you do _this time_ Ari?" Rachel asked.

"I grabbed her boobs 'cause Elliot didn't know what I meant when O called her Miss Triple-D," I said bluntly, shrugging. Boris started laughing like crazy.

"I fucking hate you so much right now," Malory growled.

"Psh. You know you love me."

"Debatable."

"You know you do."

"Meh."

"Anyway-aw CRAP!" I gotta go!' I exclaimed when I remembered I was supposed to meet with Vivaldi, "Later guys!" I quickly grabbed my bags and ran to Hatter Mansion. I ran into the rose garden and saw Vivaldi admiring her brother's flowers. I walked over to the table and put down my bags, making enough noise for her to hear me. She turned her head to look at me, her face calm.

"You didn't wait long, did you?" I asked, taking a lick of my ice cream.

"Not at all. We were just admiring the roses," she said, walking towards the table I was now sitting at. She sat across from me, letting out an exhausted sigh, "it is quite tiring at the castle. We enjoy coming here to relax."

"Am I safe to assume you got your invitation?" I asked.

"Ah, yes! We did! And we are very much looking forward to the event!" she said, her face brightening. I laughed, eating more of my ice cream.

"What's all this about a party?" I heard behind me. I felt someone's hands on my shoulders, and I tilted my head back as far as it could go to see who's.

"Ah, little brother. Nice of you to join us," Vivaldi said, grinning. I felt Blood start to rub circles with his thumbs on my shoulders.

"You mean you don't know?" I teased, grinning.

"What are you planning this time?" he asked. I could hear the annoyance in his voice, and I simply ate more ice cream.

"Well, if you _must_ know, there is going to be a tea party. Malory and I were just in town looking for our outfits."

"Is it safe to assume it was _you_ making a racket this morning?"

"Hee hee, yup," I replied, laughing.

"What happened this time around?" Vivaldi asked.

"I teased my friend Malory. Again. Ah, good times...Anyway, I was teasing her about how I made her and Elliot kiss yesterday-"

"You did what?" Blood and Vivaldi asked at the same time.

"Did you not know about that? Oh, well, I pushed Malory into Elliot and they ended up kissing, so I was teasing Malory about it. We started singing, and Elliot walked in on us while we were doing so. Dee and Dum walked in, I called her Miss Triple-D, and because Elliot, ah poor ignorant Elliot, didn't know what I meant, I grabbed her bobs for clarification. I think you can guess what happened from there. I'm actually surprised I'm still alive," I explained, trying to suppress my giggles. Blood and Vivaldi were silent, but they suddenly started laughing.

"You are truly a wicked girl" Vivaldi managed through her laughter.

"Ah yes. Well, I never go a day without teasing her in some way," I grinned triumphantly. After their laughter died down, I licked my ice cream, but grabbed my wrist and took some of his own.

"Noooo! My ice cream!" I whined, trying to get my hand back. He just laughed at me and ate more. He let go after and I tried glaring at him while I finished off what was left in case he tried that again. Vivaldi stood after watching us, catching my attention.

"Sadly, we must return to the castle. We do look forward to seeing you tomorrow," she said as she started to walk back, leaving me and Blood alone in the garden.

"So, how was your little shopping trip?" Blood asked, starting to rub circles again.

"Fun. Malory hates shopping though," I answered, leaning into him.

"What did you get?" I grinned, then rummaged through my bags and pulled out the hat Malory had found, replacing the fedora with it. I stood up and knelt on the chair, looking at Blood with a grin. He chuckled, flicking the edge of my hat. Something caught his attention, and I tilted my head in confusion. He placed his hands on my face, then licked my cheek. My face went red, and he pulled back slightly to look at me.

"You had some ice cream on your face," he said before kissing me.

***Lexie***

_Ah, warm,_ Lexie thought as she snuggled into her sleeping bag. She yawned, then tried to stretch her arms above her head, only to find they were stuck. Pinned, to be more precise. She looked down to see Ace's head, Which just happened to be pressed against her chest.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!" she screamed.

"Huh? Wha-gah!" Ace exclaimed, waking up and falling out of the sleeping bag.

"You-you-AUGH!" Lexie stuttered, her face beat red.

"What, what happened?" Ace asked, looking around in bewilderment.

"You face was...was...waaaaaah!" Lexie tried to say, her face red as she covered her chest, her heart beating like a hammer.

"Oh, that? I was listening to your heartbeat!" Ace said, smiling brightly.

"What?" she asked. Ace crawled to her and tapped her chest.

"Your heartbeat! How else was I going to listen to it?" Lexie was completely silent.

"Uh, Ace, don't you have a heartbeat?" she asked. He smiled sadly, then took Lexie's hand and placed it on his chest over his heart. Her face paled when she heard what sounded like a clock in his chest.

"People here don't have heartbeats. It's why you're so special," Ace explained. Lexie was stunned. She was used to people from her court and people like Ari having no heartbeat, but she had never encountered someone with a clock for a heart. They both sat in silence in the tent, the air tense. Then, out of the blue, something crashed into the tent, making them both jump. With shaking hands, Lexie opened the tent door, letting in a small black bat holding an envelope. Lexie let out a shaky sigh when it landed on her hand and dropped the envelope, then flew back out the tent. Lexie opened the envelope and took out two cards, one labeled for her, the other for Ace. She handed Ace's card to him and began to read her own.

_Hey Lexie-loo!  
>Party! P-a-r-t-y? 'Cause I GOTTA! Anyway, upon walking (running for my life) outside this lovely morning, I was punched, yes PUNCHED, by an EXCELLENT idea. I have decided to throw a tea party where da girlies get to wear Lolita! We be hot, sexy, and other words that mean outrageously good-looking! Plus, there shall be singing, dancing, tea, and pastries! Not to mention BOOZE (only for those who want it)! But anywho, get your outfit ready for the party be-ith tomorrow! See ya then! BTW, the bat will help :)<em>

_ ~Ari Lemire_

Lexie smiled at the thought of booze being at the party. Boy, did she love to drink. She looked over at Ace to see him rolling up the sleeping bags. She crawled to her stockings and boots and yanked them on, then took off Ace's shirt and crawled outside, stretching her arms above her head and taking in the fresh air. Ace soon followed, now wearing his shirt and coat, and folded up the tent, hiding wherever he did. The same bat from before flew down to Lexie and Ace, staring intently at their faces.

"Uh, what is this?" Ace asked, pointing at the small mammal.

"It's one of Ari's familiars. Sorta like a little assistant," Lexie explained. The bat started to fly away, "I think we're supposed to follow it."

"Wow! We got here quick!" Ace said, scratching the back of his head as he looked around the shopping area. _Was she making fun of me?_ Lexie thought. Shaking off the thought, she began to walk around the shoping district, finding a store full of Lolita. Her eyes lit up, and she grabbed Ace's arm, preparing to drag him inside.

"Lexie-loo?" she heard, She turned and saw Rachel walking towards them with Boris in tow.

"Rachel-la! How good to see you, _dar_ling!" Lexie greeted, using her drag voice.

"Simply _mar_velous, darling!" Rachel countered. They both dissolved into giggles soon after.

"So I take it you guys got invites?" Rachel asked. Lexie nodded in response, then pulled Rachel inside the shop. Boris followed, and immediately saw something.

"Oh, Rachel, you should _totally_ wear this to the party!" he snickered. Rachel looked at what he had pulled out, seeing a black dress with a pink corset and punk looking cat on the the bottom half, almost the same as the one on Boris' outfit. It came with black and pink striped stockings and a black furry boa.

"Are you _insane_ There's no _way_ I'm wearing that!"

"Yeah Rachel! You should _totally_wear that!" Lexie chimed. She whispered in Rachel's ear, "I know Boris will think you look hot in it." Rachel's face turned a slight pink, and she grabbed the outfit, then walked to the dressing room.

"And now to find an outfit for me!" Lexie chanted, then started to look through the racks for something to wear.

"This looks promising," she mused aloud, pulling out an outfit. It was corset top that tied up in the front, the color a deep purple-black, a dark gray long skirt with a large slit in the middle, some black lace underneath that came just above her mid-thigh, light purple gloves wrapped in ribbons the went, just barely, to her fingertips, torn gray-purple stockings, and a little Lolita hat.

"Lexie, get your butt over here!" Rachel yelled. Lexie laughed, then made her way over to the dressing rooms, finding Rachel hiding behind the curtain, her face red.

"Well do you want me to see how you look or not?" Lexie asked. Rachel gulped, then moved out from behind the curtain. Lexie could see Boris' jaw drop from the corner of her eye when he saw her.

"It's so skimpy!" Rachel whined, tugging on the hem of her skirt.

"Oh, shush, it practically comes to your knees. Plus, you look hot!" Lexie chimed, hugging Rachel.

"Can I change back now?" she pleaded. Lexie let her go, and she nearly ran back into the dressing room. Lexie chuckled, then went into an empty dressing room to try on her outfit. Once it was on, she admired herself in the available mirror. Pleased with how she looked, she changed back into her regular clothes. She walked out to see Rachel had already changed.

"And now shoes!" Lexie whooped, grabbing Rachel's hand and dragging her towards the shoe section, "ah-ha! Perfect!" she exclaimed, holding up a pair of black bots with a hot pink trim, "and they're just the right size for you~"

"Alright, alright! _Sheesh!_" Rachel grumbled, taking the boots. Lexie giggled at her blushing friend, then went to find her own pair of shoes. She spotted a pair of chunky gray Mary-Janes that she just had to have.

"Can we go now?" Rachel whined. Lexie rolled her eyes, then dragged Rachel, Ace, and Boris over to the cashier.

*Ashley (and a little Trisha)*

_Waaaaaaaaaaaarm..._ Ashley purred in her mind, snuggling closer to the body next to her. Her eyes opened slowly, wondering who the hell she was sleeping with. She sat up and saw Peter sleeping soundly. She caught sight of his ears, and her eyes lit up. She didn't want to wake him up, but she just couldn't contain herself.

"OMG, BUNNYYYYYYY!" she shrieked, tackling Peter.

"Woah! Wha-GYA!" Peter yelled as he fell off the bed, Ashley on top of him. His door slammed open, and Trisha came running in, her clothes disheveled and her hair like she had just woken up, which was probably the case.

"What's going on?" she shouted.

"Bunnyyyyyyy..." Ashley purred, rubbing her face against Peter's chest.

"What just happened? And why is she naked?" Peter shouted, trying to push off the excited wolf. Trisha smacked her forehead, then pulled Ashley off of Peter.

"Boobies!" Ashley exclaimed, then buried her face in Trisha's chest.

"What happened to the cost?" Trisha asked, Ashley looked up at her face in fear, then ran to hide behind the now standing Peter.

"You are _not_ gonna make me wear that thing again," Ashley growled.

"Well can you at least shift?" Trisha sighed. Ashley glared at her, then pushed her and Peter out of the room.

"Kicked out of my own room..." Peter mumbled. Trisha sighed again, and waited until she heard a yip on the other side of the door. Trisha opened it and found Ashley in her wolf form sitting on the ground with her tail swishing behind her. She yipped again, then stood up and walked over to Peter, rubbing her head against his palm.

"She wants you to pet her," Trisha explained to Peter. He hesitated, then started to softly pet Ashley's black fur. Had she been a cat, she would have been purring like a motorboat. Trisha smiled slightly, then walked over to the window, noticing something flying towards it. _Is that...a bat?_ Trisha thought. The bat stopped just before hitting the window, looking directly at Trisha. She opened the window and the bat flew in, dropping an envelope on the ground before her. She bent to pick it up, then ripped open the envelope and pulled out three cards; one for her, one for Ashley, and one for Peter.

"Hey Peter!" Trisha called, getting his attention. He looked up at Trisha as she walked to him, handing him the card. He flipped his open and began to read it, and Trisha proceeded to do the same.

_Hey Trishy-wishy!  
><em>_So, I have sent this lovely assistant of mine to inform you of our fabulous Tea Party ("our" being the Hatter's)! The girlies will be wearing Lolita, and it can be any kind you want! Note: MALORY WILL BE WEARING A DRESS. Don't tease her too much about it though, I'm still on the "To Kill" list. ANYWHO! Get your outfit ready because the party is tomorrow (Blood is soooo gonna kill me for this...)! Love ya loads!_

_ ~Ari Lemire_

Trisha read the sentence about Malory wearing a dress at least ten times before smiling widely at the thought of Ari had somehow managed to pull it off. She looked up to see Ashley shaking, and her face went pale, her eyes wide.

"Get some clothes for her now!" she yelled at a maid who had just walked in. The maid jumped, then ran off to find something to wear.

*Melissa*

Melissa slowly opened her eyes to see a black shirt not an inch in front of her face. Her face scrunched up in confusion, and she moved back to look up at Nightmare's face. She blushed lightly, then looked back down, gripping his shirt. She rested her forehead against his chest, smiling brightly. She bit her bottom lip to keep from giggling out loud in happiness. The hands on her back flexed slightly, and Melissa completely froze. She could hear Nightmare grunt softly as he stretched out his arms. Melissa looked back up at his face, and Nightmare looked back at her, smiling sweetly.

"Good morning," he greeted. Melissa stared blankly, then smiled back.

"Good morning," she returned. She sat up and stretched her own arms, wincing when she heard her elbows crack. Her mouth opened wide in a yawn, then she stood up to leave. She walked over to the door, turned back, and hugged Nightmare tightly around his midsection.

"Thank you for comforting me last night," she mumbled into his shirt, then ran into her room. She put a hand to her cheek and leaned against the closed door, starting to blush. She became dazed as she thought about what happened last night and this morning. She became so dazed that she didn't notice the bat flying outside her window. It screeched, and she jumped at the sudden noise. She looked towards the window, seeing the small creature hovering outside of it and holding an envelope. She jogged over to the window and threw it open, letting the bat inside. It landed on her hand and she took the envelope from it's mouth. She rubbed it's little head, smiling lightly, when her door slammed open, making her jump. She whipped around to see Gray standing in the doorway.

"Uh...hi?" she said, waving at him cautiously with the hand holding the envelope. Gray's eyes glanced over at her other hand, noticing the small bat. She tried unsuccessfully to stifle a giggle as she watched a slight blush move across his face. Gray cleared his throat and turned away.

"So uh, what's that?" He asked, pointing to the envelope in Melissa's hand. The bat crawled up to her shoulder, and she giggled as its fur tickled her neck. She opened the envelope and pulled out four cards; one for her, and the others were for Julius, Gray, and Nightmare.

"Uh, I think they're...invites?" she said as she flipped hers open.

_Merlissa meh looooove!  
>Hey hey hey, waz goin' on? I hope Julius hasn't been a total dick to you, but trust me when I say he's actually a big softy. ANYWHO! The point of this letter is to invite you to my amazingly awesome tea party! The girls will be wearing Lolita, and the guys will wear whatever! Now, the party is tomorrow, so go out and get your outfit ready for the party! See ya tomorrow!<em>

_ ~Ari Lemire_

_ PS. Don't let Julius know I called him a softy. He'll have my head if he found out ;3;_

Melissa's face brightened slightly. She loved going shopping, and she was semi hoping Ari had managed to get Malory into a dress. She walked over to her bed and yanked on her shoes, combing out her hair with her fingers.

"I'll take _that_," she said, grabbing Nightmare's invite from Gray. She walked over to Nightmare's room and knocked on the door, waiting for a reply. The door opened, and Nightmare looked down at her sleepily. She presented the invite to him, and he rubbed his eyes, taking the invite and flipping it open. Melissa turned around to find Gray standing behind her. She nabbed the last unopened invite and ran to Julius' office, slamming the door open. Julius looked up in shock, then glared at her, clearly expecting someone else to be standing there, but still annoyed that he was interrupted from his work.

"I almost thought you were Ari..." he growled. Melissa stared daggers at him.

"Well she's not here. But this is for you," she said, dropping the invite on his desk. He grabbed it an flipped it open, reading it quietly. Melissa watched his face get gradually paler as he read.

"She would do something like that..." he grumbled. Melissa tilted her head in confusion, but didn't ask. She turned to leave when Julius started working again, then walked out of his office and outside. She stretched out her arms to the sky, letting the sun warm her bare arms and face. She smiled to herself, feeling extremely pleased. She heard the door close behind her, and turned to see who it was.

"You ready to go?" Nightmare asked, walking towards her. He chuckled when Melissa tilted her head in confusion.

"Your outfit, silly. For the party," he clarified.

"Oh. Yup!" Melissa answered happily, grabbing onto his arm and holding it as they walked to town.

"Wow. This is just...wow," Melissa said as she surveyed the many shops.

"Melissa? Is that you?" she heard a voice say. She turned to see Trisha, Ashley, and Peter walking towards her.

"Hey! You guys get invites to the party?" Melissa asked after giving her friends a good squeeze.

"Yeah. We just got here after a little problem this morning," Trisha explained, jabbing her thumb over at Ashley. Melissa looked over to see her wearing a shredded maid uniform and clinging to Peter's arm.

"...Do I _want_ to know what the hell happened?" Melissa asked cautiously. Peter and Trisha shook their heads furiously while Ashley snuggled closer. Melissa rolled her eyes, not wanting to know, then started walking to different shops. She paused in front of a Lolita shop, and her face brightened as she walked inside. She started looking through the clothes racks when she found a pretty modern one that fit her tastes. She pulled it off the rack and walked into a dressing room, changing into the outfit once entering. She walked out and modeled the outfit for her friends, who cheered for her as she struck different poses. The outfit itself consisted of a red long sleeved shirt with the shoulders cut off, a black pleated skirt, mesh stockings, and a little hat with a skull charm.

"Change back so we can find our outfits!" Ashley said, pushing Melissa back into the dressing room.

"Okay, okay! Sheesh!" she whined, then quickly changed back into her own clothes. She walked out to see the boys had wandered off, and she linked arms with Ashley and Trisha, walking back to the clothing racks. All three were looking through them until Ashley held up an outfit in triumph, running back to the dressing rooms. Melissa and Trisha looked at each other, shrugged, then went back to searching.

"What about this?" Trisha asked, holding up a black Lolita dress with puffy sleeves and skirt. Melissa smiled, nodding in agreement. She grabbed Trisha's arm and dragged her to the dressing rooms, pushing her into one. She giggled at Trisha's protests, then sat down and waited for both girls to finish.

"BAM!" Ashley whooped as she stepped out of the dressing room. She wore a red corset with black strings, a translucent skirt with built in underwear (much to Ashley's discontent), fishnet stockings and black sleeves that went well past her fingertips. Perched atop her head was a small black Lolita top hat.

"Ooooh, Melissa liiike!" Melissa purred.

"Why _thank_ you," Ashley answered, bowing dramatically. At this time, Trisha stepped out of the dressing room, wearing the dress and a small hat that came with it.

"Oh my god you look so CUTE!" Melissa squealed, glomping Trisha.

"Aaaaaw, thank you~"

"I say we change back and go find us some shoes!" Ashley exclaimed, then ran back to change. Trisha rolled her eyes, then went to go do the same.

"I'll meet you guys there!" Melissa called to them, then went to the shoe section to wait for her friends.

**Author's Notes: OTL. this is literally my longest chapter THUS FAR. not sure i'll ever get this far again. it's a high possibilty though. ugh. you think i write too much? anyway, YES! FLUFF AND CHEESYNESS EVERYWHERE! HAHAHAHAHA! aaaaah, fluff is entertaining to right~ whelp, hope you guys enjoy it~**


	7. VII

_The next day..._

"Ari, you need to calm down..." Blood said as I paced back and forth in his office. The party was going to start in less than an hour, and everything was set up and ready to go, absolutely perfect...and yet I was still having my usual paranoia attack.

"But what if something goes wrong?"

"Ari, just-"

"I mean, what if it rains, or-"

"Ari-"

"Something breaks, or a maid drops something and pisses someone off, and-"

"ARI!" Blood shouted, standing in front of me and stopping my pacing. He cupped my face in his hands and made me look up at him, "Nothing is going to happen. You're just being paranoid."

"But-"

"_Nothing_ is going to happen." I sighed, then rested my forehead against his chest and wrapped my arms around him. He started to soothingly rub my back while his other hand rested on the back of my head. I gripped the back of his shirt slightly. He was right. I needed to relax. I inhaled deeply, taking in his scent. It was like a mixture of tea and roses, and I always felt like I couldn't get enough of it. After awhile, I started to relax, reassuring myself that everything would be perfectly fine. Blood moved away from me and sat down on the sofa, pulling me onto his lap. He kissed me lightly, then tucked my head under his chin, tracing light patterns on my arm. I leaned against him, resting one of my hands over his clock and grabbing his free hand with the other and entwining our fingers together. I shut my eyes as I listened to the soft ticking beneath his clothes, the muscles in my shoulder relaxing. His kissed my forehead and moved me to the side so he could stand. I looked the clock on the wall, and my eyes went wide. I started to mentally panic again.

"Now isn't the time to freak out, Ari," Blood scolded as he placed his hat atop his head.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, looking down, "but, I always get paranoia, and I just-" Blood stopped me mid-sentence by kissing me. My eyes went wide at first, but I closed them and gently gripped his shoulders, melting into the kiss.

"AHEM," someone coughed loudly. WE broke apart, and I turned to see Malory in the doorway, "I do believe we need to start, like, _now_," she said, pointing at the clock. I stood up and walked over to Blood's desk, picking up my hat and placing it atop my head. I turned to see Blood holding out his hand to me, a smirk on his face. I smiled back at him as I placed my hand in his, and we walked outside to greet the guests.

"You're late, girl!" Malory yelled at me as I walked into the garden.

"Am not!" I argued. She rolled her eyes at me, her tail swishing.

"Did I miss anything?" Elliot said, running up to us.

"No, Elliot. We literally just started," Malory sighed, catching his attention. I giggled at the blush slowly forming on his face.

"Alrighty then! I'm gonna go greet the guests!" I chirped, then stood on my toes to kiss Blood's cheek.

"I'll come with-" he started, but I cut him off.

"I need to focus on something so I don't panic again," I whispered to him. He nodded, then kissed my forehead before letting me go. I walked to the front gate to find Dee and Dum already there.

"Pretty Lady!" They both exclaimed, running towards me and hugging me. I lost my balance slightly, but they stopped me from falling over.

"Thanks," I said, patting the top of their heads. They both beamed at my praise, then let me go.

"So what're ya doin' _here_, Pretty Lady?" Dum asked, leaning against the gate.

"I came to greet people. Just to get my mind off of panicking," I explained, leaning against the gate beside Dum.  
>"Why would you get panicked?" Dee asked, leaning next to me.<p>

"I just get paranoid. That's all~" I said, patting his head.

"She always does. Don't you Ari?" A voice said, startling me. I looked around Dum to see Melissa walking towards the estate with Julius, Nightmare, and Gray close behind. I grinned, then walked towards the group, hugging Melissa when I reached her. She giggled, then hugged me back.

"Did someone mention another certain someone getting paranoid again?" Another voice said, and I looked past Melissa and saw Ashley, Trisha, and Lexie with Peter, Vivaldi, and Ace in tow. I grinned,then walked over to my other friends to give them each a hug. Except for Peter.

"Ariii! Why don't I get a hug?" Peter whined, trying to give me a hug. I dodged his attempts.

"Ashley, hug him for me," I sighed. Her face lit up, and she happily obliged, glomming Peter and hugging him tightly around his waist. I chuckled, then told the Bloody Twins to go seat the guests, much to their displeasure at leaving me alone. I laughed as they grumbled away, then turned to greet the oncoming wave of guests. After about an hour, the wave started to die down, and I turned to go through the gates. As I turned, something caught my eye, and I whipped around to see nothing was there. I shook it off, then went to go join the others.

"Now you're late!" Malory yelled from her spot next to Elliot. I rolled my eye at her and went to my spot, sitting next to Blood. He grabbed my hand, kissing my knuckles before smiling at me. I smiled back, then picked up my cup of tea and took a sip as people made light conversation around me. I glanced around to see only the Role-Holders and my friends at one table, while the faceless people were dispersed around the other tables. I brushed it off, not wanting to make a mess of things. I chatted lightly with my own friends, asking how they were getting accustomed to Wonderland, when I was suddenly glomped by someone, making me nearly fall out of my chair.

"Ariiiii!" Pierce squeaked, hugging me tightly. I glanced over at Blood to see his veins popping. I could only guess Peter was ready to shoot.

"Sorry we're late. Rachel was being difficult," Boris snickered, jabbing a thumb at the girl behind him.

"Shut up Boris!" Rachel growled. My eyes went wide and my jaw nearly hit the floor when I saw what she was wearing.

"...You, Boris...Got..._Rachel_...into _that?_" I stammered, my voice full of disbelief.

"Yeah," he answered bluntly, shrugging his shoulders. I paused, looking back and forth between him and Rachel, then gave him a high five.

"Wha-? Ari!" Rachel shrieked, "What the hell!" I laughed with Boris at Rachel's expression.

"Job well done, my friend~" Lexie hollered, applauding Boris as he bowed dramatically. I laughed again, and I could hear Blood chuckling to himself. Boris pried Pierce off me, then went to go sit down. Surprisingly, to the others, Pierce sat next to me.

"Hey Pierce! How come you're not down here?" Rachel called, her face contorted in confusion.

"Hm? It's cause I'm a Hatter!" Pierce answered brightly, "I'm the assassin!" I covered my mouth in an attempt to stop the giggles bubbling to the surface at the look on my friend's faces.

"Wha- How- Eeeeeeeeeeeh?" Melissa stuttered.

"How the hell is he the hitman? He's too cute!" Malory yelled, making Pierce giggle.

"He's just deceitful," I said, patting his head and earning another giggle. Blood squeezed my hand, and I turned my head to look at him. When I was facing him, he kissed me quickly and roughly, making my eyes go wide. He pulled back and sipped his tea like nothing happened, while I was completely motionless. I blushed when Ashley, Trisha, and Melissa started whistling and howling at us. I yelled at them to stop, then sipped my tea, still blushing. I glanced over at where Malory and Elliot were_supposed_ to be, but ended up finding them gone.

"Hey, did anyone see where Malory and Elliot went?" I asked, receiving a giggle from Dee and Dum. I turned my attention to them, my eyes narrowed, and I mentally smirked when I watched them clear their throats and squirm.

"They uh, just left..." Dee mumbled.

"No idea where they went..." Dum said, his gaze going upwards and left. My eyes narrowed more, and they shrunk away from my glare. I sighed, sipping my tea as I shook my head. I knew I wasn't going to get any information out of them, so I decided to ignore it for now. _Ugh, can I PLEASE come out now?_ Arisu whined. I rolled my eyes at her comment, and ignored it. I looked around the table quickly to see everyone actually getting along. I just hoped Malory and Elliot would come back soon. Didn't want them to miss anything.

*Malory*

After hearing Pierce was the hitman for the Hatters, Malory sipped her tea _No way is Pierce the hitman. He's too cute for that,_ she thought, setting her cup down. _Well, not as cute as him..._ she thought, smiling to herself as a light blush painted her cheeks. She glanced around the table, smirking when Blood suddenly kissed Ari, and it grew when she heard Ashley, Trisha, and Melissa hooting and hollering at them. She felt a tap on her shoulder, and looked to see Elliot standing up, motioning her to follow. She stood up, confused, and followed him as he walked away from the party. He stopped when they were far enough away, then turned to face her. She tilted her head in confusion, her ears in tail twitching.

"What's up?" she asked. One second he was standing in front of her, the next he was kissing her. Her eyes went as wide as they possibly could, and she could feel her face get hot. No doubt Elliot felt it, seeing as how his hands were holding her face. He pulled back slightly, then pulled her close, hugging her tightly. She stayed frozen solid.

"Malory, I...I like you," he mumbled into her hair. _Yup. My face is gonna catch on fire any second now,_ she thought as her face went hotter. Her knees started shaking, and she had to hold onto his coat to keep herself up.

"That's um...quite the confession," she mumbled, hiding her face. Elliot laughed nervously.

"So uh, h-how do you feel?" he asked, pulling back to look at Malory. She looked down at her feet, shifting them awkwardly.

"W-well...I like you. A lot, actually," she mumbled. Elliot was silent, then he pulled her back into another hug.

"At least it's something," he said. Malory could hear the smile in his voice, and she hugged him back, smiling brightly. After awhile, she pulled back and grabbed his hand.

"Let's go back. Knowing Ari, she's noticed we're gone, and is either freaking out, or planning something evil."

*Me*

I was busy chatting with everyone at the table when I saw Malory and Elliot walking back, hand in hand. My eyes went wide, and a bright smile grew on my face. Malory caught me looking at her and stared daggers at me. I ducked my head and sipped my tea, looking at anything but her. They both sat down, and I turned to look at Ashley, who, for some reason, was giggling like a goddamn maniac. I watched Julius look down at his cup with confusion and worry.

"...What's in the tea?" he asked, looking up and pointing down at the cup in his hand. Ashley tugged on his coat to get his attention, still giggling.

"SHHHHHHHHHHH!" she stage whispered, putting up a finger, "ish a shecret! Shhh!" Her speech slurred all over the place, and she moved closer to Julius, giggling, "I put vodka in the tea!" she told him, then burst out laughing like she had told some great joke. Julius looked at her, the cup in cup in his hand, her again, then put his cup down with a heavy sigh and pushed it away from himself.

"All right, who gave Ashley the booze?" Malory shouted, looking around the table.

"Meee!" Ace sang, smiling brightly. I smacked my forehead the same time Malory did. I could hear Arisu start pestering me again, so I sighed and stood up to go somewhere more private. I whispered to Blood where I was going, and he kissed my hand before I made my way to the rose garden. I pulled down the glove on my hand and cut a pentagram into it, speaking Romanian. The shadow shot from my hand, and Arisu was there when it faded, wearing a black strapless Lolita dress, cut off sleeves that just barely reached her fingertips, a thin ribbon tied around her neck, knee high socks with ribbons on the sides, black chunky Mary-Janes, and a black top hat with a white ribbon around it. Her irises were a mixture of onyx and emerald, and her cat ears and tail were out. I smirked.

"Nice outfit," I said, and she grinned back at me. Her ear twitched, and I watched her eyes become...anxious. I tilted my head in confusion, and her tail twitched.

"What's up?" I asked. She jumped at the sudden question.

"Hm? Oh, nothing. Just haven't been out for awhile, so I'm a little tense," she explained, holding up a hand to calm me, "I'm just gonna walk around for a little bit. Just to stretch."

"All right. Hurry back. You wouldn't want to miss the party~"

*Arisu*

I watched Ari wave over her shoulder at me as she left, and I sighed when she was gone. The wind blew softly again, and with it cam the light _ting_ of keys. My ear twitched again at the sound, and I felt a grin spread across my face. I turned to go in the direction of the sound, and ended up nearly colliding with the person I was after. I looked up at his face, his usual smirk spread across it. I grinned at him, grabbing his tie and pulling his face closer to my own. My free hand moved to the back of his head, my fingers tangling in his wine red hair. I could tell my eyes were on the verge of turning an emerald green. My lips lightly brushed his, teasing him. He growled softly, then grabbed the back of my head, gripping my hair and pressing his lips against my own roughly. I grinned, kissing him back. I broke away after awhile, both of us breathing hard. I smirked up at him before nipping his lower lip.

"I think that's a record for how quickly you gave in," A voice purred. I looked over to see the man identical to the one I just kissed.

"Ah, shut up," The first man growled, pulling me closer. The second chuckled.

"Frankly, I don't want to miss the party. I suggest you two come as well~" he chimed, turning and walking in the direction of the tea party.

*Me*

"PLEEEEEEEEASE!" The entire group of my friends begged, holding their hands together.

"No! Now quite asking!" I shouted, standing up and slamming my hands on the table, "I'm not gonna sing! _Especially_ what you're suggesting!"

"But you did write there would be singing on the invites..." Lexie mentioned, making me flinch.

"...I"m not getting out of this, am I?" Everyone at the table shook their heads, even Julius, to my surprise. I sighed heavily, hanging my head in defeat. I took off my hat and sipped my tea, mentally preparing myself. I let out a deep breath, then sent a mental message to all my friends, letting them know what I was going to sing.

"_Each morning I get up, I die a little. Can barely stand on my feet. Take look in the mirror and cry. Lord, whatcha doin' to me? I have spent all my years in believin' you. But I just can't get no relief, Lord! Somebody, ooh somebody, can anybody find me somebody to love?_" Ashley got up and stood next to me, wrapping an arm around my waist as she sang with me. My other friends sang the background perfectly, and the finish was beautiful. When it was over, everyone started clapping and cheering wildly, and I bowed, a smile on my face.

"Well done, well done~" one solitary voice said, clapping slowly. I felt shivers run straight down and right back up my spine. I whipped around to see both Jokers standing under an arch, as smirk on both their faces. My smile quickly morphed into a nasty snarl, and I lunged for White, stopping only when my claws were pressed against his throat.

"What the hell do you want, White?" I growled, my eyes glowing with a mix of ice an blood and narrowed dangerously at him.

"Easy on the hold there, sweetheart. It's a little...uncomfortable," White replied, the smirk remaining.

"Pardon for not wanting to nearly die again. You know, extra precaution."

"What's up, whore?" Black growled thickly. I glanced over, and my eyes went wide when I saw my other half latched onto his arm.

"Arisu...What is the meaning of this?" I asked, my voice just above a whisper.

"What does it look like?" she spat, glaring at me. My hand around White's neck started to waver, and he took advantage by grabbing my wrist and twisting my arm behind me, making me wince. I closed my eyes tightly when he twisted it further, and I bit my lip to keep from crying out in pain. When I opened my eyes, all the other Role-Holders had their weapons pointed at both Jokers. Ashley had shifted and was growling loudly, Trisha's and Melissa's eyes were glowing brightly, Lexie and Malory looked ready to tear someone's throat out, and Rachel had blue flames erupting from her hands. My eyes went wide, and time seemed to stand still. That shattered when I heard a loud shriek, and I suddenly found my self on the ground, Arisu's hand wrapped tightly around my throat, a long, deep gash on my arm.

"I will kill you!" she screamed, her claws digging in my neck. I ground my teeth together and kneed her in the stomach, shoving her off, but gaining deep scratches in my throat in the process. I glanced over to see Ashley's muscles bunching up as she prepared to lunge.

"Ashley, stay out of this!" I yelled at her, and she laid her ears back, whimpering. My nails grew into claws, and I was ready when Arisu lunged again. I gripped her arms and flipped her, slamming her into the ground hard enough to leave a small hole. She growled, then jumped up and lunged again. I slammed my fist into her stomach, making her gag. She crumbled to the ground, coughing, and I turned my back on her, walking back to the table. I heard a low growl, and I whipped around, lifting my arm on instinct. My hand pierced her chest and went through her back, going straight through her heart. Our eyes went wide, and I slowly pulled my hand away. She dropped to the ground, the life fading from her eyes, and in a matter of seconds, she was nothing but dust. My eyes went blank, and I stayed completely still, Arisu's blood dripping from my hand. My hands started to shake, and my head started to spin. I vaguely felt myself start to fall, but someone caught me before I hit the ground. Blood's coat started blurring before my eyes as unconsciousness washed over my mind.

**Author's Notes: Yes! i killed Arisu! SO SUE ME! . she be dead and you must live on :C and yes, again with the fluff. i just love to torture my characters. does that make me sadistic? to most people, yes. yes it does |3 anyway, enjoy! the next chapter i will post when i can, but i plan on putting up the start of the side story soon, not to worry~**


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